Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Reading online 57 
change the type size, the colour of the background, and the page’s 
orientation so that you can have it presented in the best way for 
you to read. You will also fnd the ebook readers allow you to 
store references so that you can copy and paste relevant citations 
into your assignments. In addition, Kortext and Vital Source both 
include the option for the book to be read aloud to you. Tat way, 
it becomes an audiobook, providing you with some respite from 
having to sit at your screen and read. 
QUICK TIP: Get to know the hidden features of your ebook 
software, as there will be options available to help improve 
your online reading. 
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USE AUDIOBOOKS 
Many popular books are available in audio format. However, few 
academic textbooks are made available this way. Tat’s probably 
because they tend to be considerably longer than a typical paper-
back, so the production costs would make them expensive. If you 
have an ebook reader that includes “text to speech” facilities, then it 
may be worthwhile using that. Tere are also several similar stand-
alone apps and online services that ofer “read aloud” features. 
Much of this software is freely available, and you may fnd that such 
programs will improve your online learning. Some studies show 
that comprehension is increased in students who use audiobooks 
(Kartal and Simsek, 2017; Mohamed, 2018). Admittedly, these 
studies were only in students learning English as a foreign language, 
but it does indicate that audio can help increase understanding. 
Furthermore, one study has shown that having audio available can 
increase the amount of leisure reading that university students 
undertake (Jansen, 2019). Raising the amount of reading you do is 
important. Many studies have shown a clear link between the time 
spent on reading books and students’ writing ability. Te more you 
read, the higher your marks. However, reading is time-consuming, 
and this is where audio versions or text-to-speech software can 

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