ABSTRACT
It is a truism to say that the 21st century is bringing more to read, more ways to read it,
and more reasons to be an effective reader than ever before. Two trends in particular
affect postsecondary learners: (a) the accelerated evolution of knowledge in all fields,
which implies the necessity of extensive reading to keep up; and (b) growing awareness
of the importance of multiple perspectives and dialogical reasoning (Paul, 1987), which
necessitates the reading of multiple texts on a given issue. In addition, the changing
nature of work and the likelihood of several career changes in a working life emphasize
the importance of facility in acquiring and synthesizing new information and concepts.
