James M. Lang is a professor of practice at the University of Notre Dame’s Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence. His next book, Write Like You Teach: Taking Your Classroom Skills to a Bigger Audience, will be published by the University of Chicago Press in April 2025. He is also the author of Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It and Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons From the Science of Learning.
Stories by This Author
Advice
A new book argues that too many instructors prioritize compliance and constraint over learning. But is that always a bad thing?
Advice
Faculty members are swimming in useful research on teaching. But it’s vital to trust your own instincts, too.
Advice
Four principles to guide your thinking on the role of ChatGPT and other such tools in your teaching.
Advice
Grades and deadlines don’t have to be the bad guys of college teaching.
Advice
How to get started writing and publishing your own academic newsletter.
Advice
How academics are using Substack, Medium, and other formats to talk to one another and the public.
Advice
Instead of giving in to frustration over cellphones in the fall, maybe it’s time to put them to good use in class.
Advice
A recent book offers a road map to new kinds of assignments to inspire your students to write.
Advice
Beyond ChatGPT’s implications for the classroom, what can the technology teach academics about their own writing?
Advice
Looking for a quick read between semesters and a little career boost? Here are some book recommendations.