What does it mean for you to ‘learn’ a sefer?

So for me, learning a sefer/tractate/whatever has always meant reading it carefully, understanding the references within it, understanding the potential ramifications of the arguments therein, reading up on related works. Basically if I read an essay by a rabbi I want to be able to summarize it and discuss it in a conversation.

However recently I participated in a havrutah style study in my Jewish center. There, ‘learning’ seemed to mean taking turns reading the text verse by verse.

I was paired with two different people, one more masorti, one more orthodox, and both wanted to do the same.

Is this what ‘learning’ actually means?