Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I teach English as a second language at a university in China, and I am always reading books that deal with education in my ongoing effort to improve myself, stay current in my field, and in general make my classes more fun and productive. Most of the time the material I read is actually not very useful for the particular circumstances of an ESL class. I keep reading because sooner or later I find a book like Engaging College Students: A Fun And Edgy Guide For Professors by Mike Kowis. I can use this book. I learned a lot from it and I can’t wait to put what I learned into action in my classroom. I already do a lot of the things Mike Kowis talks about in Engaging College Students, and I was happy to learn new ideas about how to make my classes interesting without losing control of them.

I like that Mike Kowis has a clear list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to engaging college students. He then goes on to explain in clear and concise language how you should engage. My big takeaway is that humor is OK, even necessary, to keep students’ attention. I knew this deep down in my subconscious, but have trouble putting it into practice because humor is not a big part of my personality. Engaging College Students: A Fun and Edgy Guide For Professors should be required reading for anyone who wants to step into a classroom and teach college students. It is especially useful to the new teacher and can help him/her develop a style that students will appreciate for years. It is clearly written and very well organized and I was very happy to find a book that I can put into immediate practical use.