TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Does Reading Matter Anymore? David Staley | University Design
What happens to the university if students stop reading? In this installment of University Design , David Staley considers a possibility that would have seemed almost unthinkable not long ago: that we may be entering a post-literate age—not because people cannot read, but because fewer are choosing to engage deeply with long and complex texts. David traces what declining reading stamina could mean for higher education, particularly for the humanities and for one of the university’s most enduring forms of learning: the seminar. But rather than simply lamenting what may be disappearing, he asks a more provocative question: What might come next? Could listening become as important as reading? Could the seminar evolve into a place where students develop not only literacy but oracy —the ability to listen carefully, think critically, and communicate ideas through the spoken word? Could podcasts, oral dialogue, and even disputation become increasingly legitimate forms of learning and scholarship? And there is an intriguing irony in encountering this essay as audio. David asks whether listening to a book “counts” as reading—and whether the distinction may eventually cease to matter. Listen as David explores what a post-literate university might look like—and whether the future of higher education could, in some unexpected ways, bring us back to Socrates. University Design is a regular series from the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) exploring provocative ideas about how colleges and universities might be reimagined for the future. Read the full essay: https://ingeniousleadership.org/ Learn more about CHELIP: https://www.baypath.edu/academics/centers-of-excellence/center-for-higher-education-leadership-and-innovative-practice/ TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Does Reading Matter Anymore?
