A Tale of Two Extensive Reading Systems:

XReading versus the Campus Library with MReader

Abstract

The existing extensive reading program at the author's university uses a collection of graded readers held in the campus library and the online MReader platform to calculate the number of words each student reads. In 2018, student surveys were conducted to investigate the existing extensive reading program's effectiveness and to determine if the online XReading LMS would be a better alternative. The results indicate that although most students preferred XReading because of its convenience, other student responses were considered equally important in the final selection of which extensive reading system to use. The students’ responses also highlighted a problem with many students cheating the system and offered solutions to reduce this problem. Other students' responses provided insight into how much extensive reading students complete, where they complete it, what devices they use for the digital version. This report will describe all these issues and their implications for the extensive reading program going forward.