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On Course: A Week-by-Week Guide to Your First Semester of College Teaching Paperback – May 10, 2010

by James M. Lang (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 105 ratings
See all formats and editions
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You go into teaching with high hopes: to inspire students, to motivate them to learn, to help them love your subject. Then you find yourself facing a crowd of expectant faces on the first day of the first semester, and you think “Now what do I do?”

Practical and lively, On Course is full of experience-tested, research-based advice for graduate students and new teaching faculty. It provides a range of innovative and traditional strategies that work well without requiring extensive preparation or long grading sessions when you’re trying to meet your own demanding research and service requirements. What do you put on the syllabus? How do you balance lectures with group assignments or discussions―and how do you get a dialogue going when the students won’t participate? What grading system is fairest and most efficient for your class? Should you post lecture notes on a website? How do you prevent cheating, and what do you do if it occurs? How can you help the student with serious personal problems without becoming overly involved? And what do you do about the student who won’t turn off his cell phone?

Packed with anecdotes and concrete suggestions, this book will keep both inexperienced and veteran teachers on course as they navigate the calms and storms of classroom life.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  4. Publication date
    May 10, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780674047419
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0674047419
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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“I wish I'd had this book when I began teaching. Lang's countless practical suggestions could help everyone from the new teaching assistant to the most senior professor. He challenges us to be better, more creative teachers. At the same time, his description of the strains in learning to teach―especially the anguish we can go through when grading―are both funny and comforting.”―Paul Umbach, University of Iowa

“James Lang's On Course is a marvelous book, full of wisdom, wide-ranging and well-synthesized research, and honest advice about what to do, what not to do, and how to get yourself out of many a pickle through knowledge, cleverness, and courage―all qualities that are in the book intself. The book clarifies, demystifies, and inspires.”―Emily Toth, author of Ms. Mentor's Impecccable Advice

“Briskly moving through the basics, [Lang] tackles the hard questions…with humor and insight… On Course is a vital resource for educators, even those who don't fit the first-year college-teaching market. My copy is dotted with notes about new ideas to try out in my lecture class this fall. Happily though, I took away from Lang's guidebook much more than techniques.”―Barbara J. King, Bookslut

“If you are looking for a [college teaching] job, get a head start by buying and reading this book. If you already have one, your teaching still stands to gain much from it.”―Greg Garrard, Times Higher Education Supplement

About the Author

James M. Lang is Associate Professor of English at Assumption College and former assistant director of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0674047419
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press; 1st edition (May 10, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780674047419
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674047419
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 105 ratings

About the author

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James M. Lang

James M. Lang

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James M. Lang writes about higher education and writing. Currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Notre Dame, he served for two decades a Professor of English and Director of the D'Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption University. His books include Distracted (2020), Small Teaching (2016) and Small Teaching Online (2019), and Cheating Lessons (2013). His work has appeared in multiple newspapers and magazines, including Time, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, the Conversation, and more. He received a Fulbright Specialist award in 2016 and has consulted for the United Nations on the development of educational materials on ethics and integrity. He has a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University and a B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.

Jim lives in Worcester, MA with his wife, a public school teacher. They have five children in various stages of college or their early careers. Jim and Anne together operate the Lang Family Foundation, which provides grants in the areas of the arts, the environment, education, and initiatives to alleviate poverty and homelessness.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
105 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Peter Huston
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2012
Verified Purchase
I plan to keep this short because basically I'm just echoing what everyone else says. I bought this book to help me with my first year of teaching (teaching ESL at the graduate level in China), brought with me, read it and referred to it throughout the first semester and found it incredibly useful.

Like others said, he is often humorous and this is often needed. i.e. when I was furious with a student after my first encounter with a plagiarizing student in my class, I referred to his book. He predicted that I wanted to take the student and scream "Do you think I'm stupid and wouldn't catch you?" but then pointed out that the students rarely spend much time thinking about whether or not their professors are stupid or not, especially when they are behind in their work and most prone to plagiarize.

In short, a great, little book that was much help to me.
2 people found this helpful
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L.M.D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Like having a personal mentor.
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2013
Verified Purchase
I'd like to offer a huge THANK YOU to James M. Lang for writing this book!

After reviewing a few books on pedagogical *theory,* and still feeling highly unprepared, I stumbled upon this one. It provided exactly the practical and applied, "how to" and "how not to," information that I needed to feel more comfortable and be more successful in my first semester of college teaching.

I especially appreciate that Lang shares so many tips and tricks for each scenario (group work, classroom discussions, grading, etc.) and recommends those he finds work best in each situation, based on his extensive teaching experience. It's brilliant. Each chapter closes with a terrific list of additional resources for further reading if one is so inclined.

I have already recommended this book to two of my fellow faculty members and will continue to share it.
5 people found this helpful
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Roberto Dagnino
4.0 out of 5 stars very useful for all beginning lecturers
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2013
Verified Purchase
Very useful book, mainly focused on the American education system, but full of highly practical advice (always well argumented with references to scientific literature) that can easily be adapted to other educational environments. Ideally, it helps a lecturer to plan his/her very first one-semester course week by week. The week-by-week structure appears sometimes a little rigid, and also in this case there might exist differences between countries or even between institutions. Didactic creativity might be necessary at times, but a good teacher will certainly be able to adapt most suggestions and instructions to his/her own personal situation without too many difficulties. I recommend it to all beginning lecturers.
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Lohas addict
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the one!
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2010
Verified Purchase
I had already read 3 books on how to teach college courses, and looked at two others. Now I wish I had started with this. Nothing but very specific, practical advice. I've TA'd several times before, I'd read those other books, and I have my research to do, so I have little patience for books that tell me what I don't need to be told or that wouldn't make much difference anyway. I can say that this book has no wasted space; I was grateful for all of it. No vague generalizations. Every point gets exactly as much space as it needs and no more. No BS, no platitudes, no rehashes of common sense. Just the right amount of allowance for the fact that different teachers will find that different approaches work for them.
28 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great book. A lot of examples to DO!!! Unfortunately, a lot of BAD examples are SEEN by the teachers that use this book. Ironic!
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Frugal shopper
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved the book's practical
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
I loved the book's practical, approachable tone and helpful tips, which got me through my first year of teaching. After four years on the job, I still refer to the book and recommend it to others!
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gizem_str
5.0 out of 5 stars Immediate Results
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book just made my first teaching experience so amazing! Wonderful tips from the start and great reference for whenever you run into a problem. Well researched and written. My students love the class and are really engaged. What seemed so stressful to me before I started my first course became such a wonderful experience. Can't thank the author enough, seriously I'm grateful.
2 people found this helpful
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savvylawgal
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Very helpful
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2014
Verified Purchase
Excellent book. Very helpful, even though I've been an adjunct for many years, as I transition into full-time teaching. And no matter your career stage, when you are facing the "doldrums" in Weeks 11-13, go back and try some of the suggestions he has. Good list of additional sources too.
One person found this helpful
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