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On Course: A Week-by-Week Guide to Your First Semester of College Teaching. James M. Lang. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2008. 319 pages. $26.95.
As any new instructor knows, preparing for a new course can be intimidating. While it is common knowledge mat avoiding planning is a bad idea, the best practices for successful planning are often not discussed with new instructors. Not having a complete understanding of how to design a successful course can create distressing challenges not only for the instructor but for me students who will be in the class as well. In his new book, On Course: A Week-by-Week Guide to Your First Semester of College Teaching, James M. Lang assumes the role of friendly mentor guiding new instructors through their first course, no matter the subject being taught.
On Course was written to help instructors who are teaching their first class, whether that class is at a community college or a four year university. Advice is given through easy to understand examples and thoughtful questions. Throughout the book, the realities...