This book blends evidence-informed strategies, practical hacks, and real talk to help you elevate your teaching while avoiding burnout—so you can stay in the game and love it, year after year.
Fuel your passion. Focus your energy. Teach Like a Champ.
In higher education today, instructors face heavier workloads, shifting student needs, and increasing technological challenges. Amid these ever-mounting pressures, how does one feed a passion for teaching and students while safeguarding oneself from burnout? The answer lies in not only being effective at teaching, but also being efficient and taking care of yourself.
Teach Like a Champ isnt just another teaching book—its your sideline coach, your pep talk, and your playbook for thriving in higher education. Written by veteran educators with over 50 years experience teaching and over 20 years experience leading centers for teaching and learning, this book blends evidence-informed strategies, practical hacks, and real talk to help you teach effectively, efficiently, and sustainably. From course design and assessment to managing grading loads and using AI, youll find tools to elevate your teaching while protecting your own well-being—so you can stay in the game and love it, year after year.
Regan A. R. Gurung, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Oregon State University. After majoring in psychology at Carleton College, he earned a PhD at the University of Washington and completed a postdoc at UCLA. He has directed a center for teaching and learning and is past president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles and 15 books, taught over 15,000 students, and received the American Psychological Foundation’s Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching in Psychology. Visit regangurung.com and follow @rargurung.
Elizabeth Yost Hammer, PhD, is Kellogg Professor in Liberal Arts at Xavier University of Louisiana. She received the American Psychological Foundation’s Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award and co-authored Psychology Applied to Modern Life and Myers’ Psychology for the AP® Course. She served as president of Psi Chi, treasurer of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, co-chair for the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education, and chief reader for the AP® Psychology Exam. For 17 years, she was the director of Xavier’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development.
Preface. What Does It Mean to Teach Like a Champ? Chapter 1. Motivation and Inspiration: Are Good Teachers Born or Made? Chapter 2. Fundamentals of Good Teaching: A Pedagogical Canon Chapter 3. Capturing Effectiveness: Assessing Your Teaching Chapter 4. Increasing Efficiency: Finding Shorter Distances Between Two Points Chapter 5. Teach Happier, Teach Better: Coping With the Rigors of the Teaching Life Appendix A. Annotated Bibliography Appendix B. Our Top Ten (or So) Teaching Playbooks References
Who better to mentor great teaching than master teachers, and renowned teachers of teachers, Regan A. R. Gurung and Elizabeth Yost Hammer? For anyone seeking to take their teaching to the next level—whether babes-in-the-woods teaching assistants, pretenure faculty, or later-career teachers seeking revitalization—Gurung and Hammer offer a gold mine of evidence-based, experienced-honed wisdom delivered in pleasurable prose.
-David Myers, PhD, Hope College, Holland, MI
Teach Like a Champ is an essential resource for college teachers of all levels. There are evidence-based hints for more effective teaching, prompts for thoughtful reflection, and light-hearted fun to bring it all together. You can be that teacher whose students remember you for your great teaching while also having a sane and healthy personal life. You will love this book!
-Diane F. Halpern, PhD, winner of numerous teaching awards and past president of the American Psychological Association
Whether you’re new to teaching or a seasoned pro, you’ll learn from this inspiring and practical book. Gurung and Hammer synthesize decades of research to help us make wise choices in our teaching. Your students—and you—will benefit from reading this book.
-Peter Felten, PhD, Center for Engaged Learning, Elon University, Elon, NC; and coauthor of Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College
Gurung and Hammer have created a pitch-perfect guide in Teach Like a Champ to assist educators in navigating both traditional and emerging challenges in the psychology classroom. Their book is informative, stimulating, and charming. Their shared insights provide an inspiring framework for psychology teachers to reflect on what they do well and where they can improve, regardless of how long they have been teaching.
-Jane S. Halonen, PhD, Professor, University of West Florida, Pensacola
