Educators at universities across the country, including at top-tier institutions, are fundamentally changing their teaching methods to accommodate a growing number of students who struggle with basic reading comprehension. Some professors report that students are arriving on campus unable to process complex sentences, forcing instructors to read texts aloud in class and analyze them line by line.
This shift in pedagogy highlights a significant challenge in higher education, as a generation raised on short-form video content and AI-powered summaries grapples with the demands of deep, analytical reading required for university-level coursework.
Key Takeaways
- University professors are increasingly reading course materials aloud in class to help students who struggle with reading comprehension.
- Educators attribute the decline in reading skills to the prevalence of video-first social media, AI summary tools, and a K-12 focus on scanning texts for standardized tests.
- Some students, even at elite business schools, self-identify as "novice or reluctant" readers.
- The trend has sparked a debate between those who see the new methods as necessary adaptation and critics who label it as "coddling."
A New Reality in the University Classroom
Instructors are observing a distinct change in the academic preparedness of incoming students. Jessica Hooten Wilson, a professor at Pepperdine University, described the issue as going beyond a lack of critical thinking skills.
"It’s not even an inability to critically think. It’s an inability to read sentences," Wilson stated, explaining that some students cannot process the words on the page without significant guidance.
To bridge this gap, she has resorted to reading passages aloud with her students and conducting line-by-line analysis. This method, once reserved for elementary or middle school, is becoming a new norm in some college lecture halls. "I feel like I am tap dancing and having to read things aloud because there’s no way that anyone read it the night before," she added.
This experience is not isolated. At the University of Notre Dame, theology professor Timothy O’Malley has also adjusted his expectations. He recalled a time when assigning 25 to 40 pages of reading per class was standard. "Today, if you assign that amount of reading, they often don’t know what to do," O'Malley said.
Reading Habits by the Numbers
A recent YouGov study from 2025 found that nearly half of all Americans did not read a single book that year. Among those aged 18 to 29, the average number of books read was just 5.8 for the entire year.
Identifying the Causes of Declining Literacy
Educators point to a combination of technological and educational factors that have contributed to this decline in reading stamina and comprehension. The primary culprits are seen as a constant exposure to digital media and shifts in pre-college educational strategies.
The Influence of Technology
The rise of video-first social media platforms like TikTok has conditioned many young people to consume information in short, highly stimulating visual bursts. This environment is not conducive to the sustained focus required to read dense academic texts, novels, or historical documents.
Furthermore, the accessibility of Artificial Intelligence tools that provide quick summaries of articles and books discourages students from engaging with the source material directly. O'Malley noted that students who rely on these AI-generated cliff's notes often miss the crucial nuances and main arguments of the text.
From Deep Reading to Scanning
Many educators believe the problem also stems from an educational system that has prioritized standardized testing. This has trained students to scan texts for keywords and specific details to answer multiple-choice questions, rather than teaching them to read deeply to understand complex arguments, themes, and authorial intent. This "scanning approach," as O'Malley calls it, leaves students unprepared for the analytical reading demanded by higher education.
Adapting Teaching or Coddling Students?
The response from the academic community to this challenge is divided. While some professors are adapting their methods to meet students where they are, critics argue these changes amount to a lowering of academic standards, sometimes described as "coddling."
Even at Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management, a professor revealed that up to half of the students in some classes describe themselves as “novice or reluctant” readers. This indicates the issue transcends disciplines and affects even the most competitive academic programs.
However, some educators are embracing the change as a necessary evolution in teaching. Brad East, a theology professor at Abilene Christian University, believes that reducing the stress associated with grades can encourage a genuine interest in learning.
"It isn’t important to me to have stress-filled cumulative exams, nor do I particularly care about grade inflation. I want them to learn," East explained.
This approach prioritizes engagement and comprehension over traditional metrics of academic performance, suggesting a shift in the fundamental goals of some university courses.
Broader Societal Implications
The decline in reading skills among the younger generation may have consequences that extend far beyond the classroom. Professor Wilson from Pepperdine expressed concern about the societal impact of a population that does not engage in shared reading experiences.
She argues that literacy is a cornerstone of building community and fostering empathy. Reading complex narratives and arguments together can help bridge divides and create a common cultural and intellectual ground.
- Community Building: Shared texts can create a basis for discussion and mutual understanding.
- Reduced Polarization: Engaging with diverse perspectives in literature can foster empathy and lessen societal divisions.
- Combating Loneliness: Reading can be a communal activity that helps combat the isolation often felt in a hyper-digital world.
"I think losing that polarization, anxiety, loneliness, a lack of friendship, all of these things happen when you don’t have a society that reads together," Wilson warned. Her comments suggest that the challenges currently seen in university classrooms could be a preview of broader social fragmentation if the trend continues unchecked.