The Missing Course

Part education theory, part reflection on labor, part toolkit. Gooblar critically diagnoses how teaching gets done (or doesn’t) in modern colleges and universities, but he goes beyond critique, offering a series of activities, approaches, and strategies that instructors can implement. His wise and necessary book is a long defense of the idea that a university can be a site of the transformation of self and society. -- Ryan Boyd * Los Angeles Review of Books * There really is a missing grad school course—something all too often missing, actually, from higher education, period, something central and essential: the effective and lasting transmission of knowledge and method and even wisdom, as well as the spirit of inquiry behind it all. Just about every discipline still assumes this stuff gets passed down, magically conveyed. Alas, as all too many studies have shown, it doesn’t. And one of the main reasons it doesn’t is that we don’t teach graduate students how to teach. The Missing Course does. -- Chris Walsh, Boston University What a delight to read David Gooblar’s new book on teaching and learning. He wraps important insights into a story of discovery and adventure. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. -- Ken Bain, author of <i>What the Best College Teachers Do</i> Gooblar adds his voice to a growing chorus questioning the absence of systematic pedagogical training of the professoriate in higher education. With deep empathy for emerging educators and an unwavering focus on students, Gooblar offers a guide towards cultivating a collaborative, active, and inclusive classroom. -- Kimberly Tanner, San Francisco State University If David Gooblar’s The Missing Course existed back when I was first in a college classroom, it would’ve saved me many hours of angst, and resulted in significantly improved experiences for my students. Even being more than twenty-five years removed from those days, I found the book an invaluable source of insight and wisdom on what it means to work with students. We’ve needed this book for a long time, and I’m glad it has finally arrived. -- John Warner, author of <i>Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities</i> The academy is filled with educators trained in their niche expertise but not in the art and craft of teaching. Thankfully, Gooblar steps into the void with a ‘missing course’ in college teaching. This book is both warm and empirically-based, comprehensive but accessible, student-centered and also scientific. We’re so lucky to have Gooblar as a guide, as he generously shares both a careful, thorough evaluation of the pedagogical literature and a host of practical teaching tips amassed over a career. -- Sarah Rose Cavanagh, author of <i>The Spark of Learning</i> This lively, accessible, and comprehensive book is the course I wish I’d had the opportunity to take in grad school. Gooblar offers a wealth of evidence-based practices and classroom wisdom to help us teach authentically and inclusively. The Missing Course will be a go-to resource for both new and experienced college teachers. -- Kevin Gannon, Grand View University Whether you are a new teacher just starting out, or an experienced teacher looking to up your game, The Missing Course would be well worth your while. -- Patrick Lufkin * Technical Communication *