New to the site? Download our quick guide first [PDF].
Who this site is for
- Anyone spending lots of time reading on screen
- Anyone looking to ditch pen and paper
- Anyone wanting to know how to get the most out of their mobile device
What we offer
- A ‘cheat-sheet’ to get you started: Reading On Screen Handout [PDF]
- Helpful tips and tricks for different devices and documents (search at top)
- Links to guides and videos
What you can do
- Rate the pages that work for you
- Comment with your feedback and suggest other resources we should link
- Complete the form below to help with our research
We’re really pleased to launch this site available in direct response to student feedback at the University of York.
More than ever before, students have such a vast amount of digital literature available to them via the University Library and resources their teaching staff have posted on the Yorkshare VLE to support their studies.
We find that the techniques used for paper-based study are different from those required to engage with digital resources. What we have found from discussions with students is that these techniques are not taught, and are often unknown. Annotation, as one example, is a different process using digital devices than with pen and paper. At first, digital annotation may seem laborious, but, as with all things, practising the skill makes it easier. Similarly, the way documents are presented on screen can be improved with a few simple tricks such as using full-screen view or reading views built into software.
Our aim is to help students discover these tricks, tell us which ones work, and encourage comments and contributions with your suggestions and approaches to reading on screen.
Happy reading!
Matt Cornock
Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York
@mattcornock
Blayn Parkinson
Elearning Development Team, University of York
@blaynparkinson
Reading On Screen 