Reading lists are one of the core resources that support course learning and teaching activities. A course reading list should be well structured, with clearly marked ‘required’ and ‘additional’ labels; connected to weekly and course learning outcomes; and contextualised to help students plan and engage with readings in a meaningful way. Creating and curating an effective course reading list that is easy to access will positively impact student achievement, engagement, and satisfaction with the course.
Course readings contribute to the student workload on each course (approximately 120-140 hours per 10 unit course as outlined in the Course Assessment and Grading Manual and Course Design and Management Manual in the policy library). It is important to keep this in mind when assigning course readings.
There are three main considerations when designing reading lists.
- Accurate and diverse reading list
By using the provided University-supported technology, Leganto, to build and maintain your reading lists, you can seamlessly link your reading list to your Canvas course site and limit the potential of copyright breaches. You should ensure that your reading list is accurate and up-to-date each time the course runs. You can also check your reading list for any underrepresented groups to ensure it is diverse and inclusive in authorship. You can use GenAI to analyse your reading list and provide suggestions. See below for a sample prompt created by one of our Learning Designers, Cleo Moore:
- Please analyse the set of required and recommended course readings for this subject. Evaluate the diversity and inclusiveness represented in the selection of authors, perspectives, and subject matter. Identify any gaps, silences, or underrepresented groups in the reading list.
- Succinct and constructively aligned
Course reading lists can be organised by themes or importance, although the most common structure is by week. It is important to clearly structure your reading list and make it easy for students to navigate to the required readings.
Consider the course and weekly learning outcomes and how the readings relate to these. Use the provided tags to highlight what readings are ‘required’ for course learning and which are just ‘recommended’ to further extend learning.
- Open Educational Resources
The University of Newcastle supports the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) with a comprehensive guide and resources provided by the library. OER are defined by UNESCO as
“teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”
As per the UON Library there are three different levels of use of OER:
- Adopt OER - find and use an open textbook with no changes
- Author OER - write your own open textbook to share with others, either as a solo author or collaborating with someone else
- Adapt OER - find and use an open textbook after tailoring it to your topic area or context
There are a range of supports available to you in relation to course readings. If you want to discuss how to constructively align your course readings or design learning activities around course readings please reach out to Learning Design and Teaching Innovation.
If you are looking for advice on creating or adding to a reading list, or support with including physical items, or any other issues, please reach out to the Course Readings team via ServiceNow.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.