Effective College Reading
I. Course Prefix/Number: EGL 110
Course Name: Effective College Reading
Credits: 3 (3 lecture; 0 lab)
III. Course (Catalog) Description
Course helps students further develop reading proficiency to an advanced college-level with comprehension, vocabulary, and critical reading, and helps students become more active, reflective, and strategic readers. Emphasis is on approaches to reading that apply to college-level courses across the disciplines.
IV. Learning Objectives
Students must be able to:
- Identify their reading process, evaluate comprehension, and adjust accordingly.
- Demonstrate comprehension of multi-page, nonfiction texts of various genres whose difficulty is at the college-level.
- Write summaries that distinguish between minor details and key ideas of texts, as well as between what the author states and what their sources state.
- Critically analyze and evaluate texts at the college-level.
- Demonstrate the ability to relate background knowledge and independent research to texts.
- Synthesize different ideas found within a single text and synthesize different ideas from across multiple texts.
- Employ word-learning strategies to unfamiliar vocabulary items independently to identify word meaning and subtleties of meaning.
- Reflect on the processes of reading and learning.
V. Academic Integrity and Student Conduct
• plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
• falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
• helping others to cheat,
• unauthorized changes on official documents,
• pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
• making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
• any other behavior that violates academic integrity.
There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton's policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.
Please review the Code of Academic Conduct and the Code of Student Conduct, both located online at
VI. Sequence of Topics
- The Reading/Learning Process
- Schema Building/Activation
- Responding to Texts
- Strategic Reading
- Intertextual Reading
- Summary Writing
- Vocabulary Strategies: Dictionaries, Contextual Inferences, Word Parts
- Analyzing Word Connotation
- Writing in response to Texts
VII. Methods of Instruction
Methods of instruction may include lectures, readings, formal and informal assessments, and writing-to-reinforce-reading assignments.
Course may be taught as face-to-face, hybrid or online course.
VIII. Course Practices Required
Course may be taught as a face-to-face, hybrid or online course.
Per departmental policy, course readings will include a minimum of 450 pages, primarily nonfiction that clearly college level, and will include at least one book-length text. Students will write a minimum of 2,000 words during the semester, at least half of which is in response to texts.
Instructors will vary in the particular readings and assignments. Assignments may include comprehension questions (multiple-choice or short-answer), critical thinking questions, vocabulary questions, reader-response questions, analysis of case-studies of learning, personal reflections, summaries of readings, annotated versions of readings, reading journals, vocabulary journals, short essays, etc.
IX. Instructional Materials
Note: Recommendations on textbooks are available from the Developmental English Coordinator or from the D2L page for Developmental English Faculty.
Per departmental policy, texts for EGL-110 will be primarily nonfiction, from various genres and academic disciplines (e.g. from an anthology). The difficulty level will be clearly college-level The length will be multi-page, including at least one book-length text other than a traditional reading textbook, such as a nonfiction trade book or anthology. Instructors will vary in the particular readings and assignments.
X. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
Individual faculty have discretion over assignments and assessments, but per department policy, the overall grade in the class will be consistent with the following:
- No more than 10% of the grade will be based on class participation.
- At least 30% of the grade will be based on in-class assessments of students’ reading ability. (e.g. quizzes and tests), including but not limited to comprehension questions (multiple-choice or short-answer), critical-thinking questions, vocabulary questions, reader-response questions, analysis of case-studies of learning, summaries of readings, etc.
- Another at least 10% of the grade will be based on writing in response to a reading or readings.
- Instructors may also assign at-home and in-class assignments, which may include, but are not limited to, comprehension questions (multiple-choice or short-answer), critical thinking questions, vocabulary questions, reader-response questions, analysis of case-studies of learning, personal reflections, summaries of readings, annotated versions of readings, reading journals, vocabulary journals, etc.
Students earn a letter grade at the end of the semester. Syllabi must include a statement of how percentage grades (or points) in the class equate to letter grades.
XI. Other Course Information
- Attendance policy
- Class policy on make-up exams, incomplete grades, late assignments, classroom behavior, etc.
- Support services i.e., the Academic Assistance Center, tutorial program
If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the Access and Disability Resource Center at the Des Plaines or Skokie campus. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.
Oakton Community College is committed to maintaining a campus environment emphasizing the dignity and worth of all members of the community, and complies with all federal and state Title IX requirements.
Resources and support for
- pregnancy-related and parenting accommodations; and
- victims of sexual misconduct
Resources and support for LGBTQ+ students can be found at www.oakton.edu/lgbtq.