The Seventeenth International Conference on Books, Publishing & Libraries

Abstract

This study focuses on the many challenges regarding teaching and student learning of critical reading and creative writing skills in U.S. higher education. Data from numerous sources indicate an alarming decline in critical literacy skills among university students in the U.S. since the 1980s. In the summer of 2018, an increasing number of college students claim they struggle to learn and apply basic reading and writing skills. This challenge has a detrimental effect on their creative and analytical abilities. As a novelist who teaches literature and has a strong interest in advancing student learning, I discuss the challenges and results of instructional methodologies used to help enhance critical literacy learning as evaluated by the students.