On Course Textbook

On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College, Career and Life (Wadsworth/Cengage) is the #1 student success/FYE text in North America, offering a hands-on approach for learning essential life and study skills. Now in its 9th edition, On Course is used each year by more than 100,000 students in student success courses, first-year experience programs, and inward-looking courses that promote student growth and self-awareness. Because of the unique journaling component, the text is also used in developmental, co-requisite support and credit-level composition courses. View impressive data from On Course PROGRAMS.

On Course 9th edition

The text provides extensive coverage of all eight On Course empowerment skills: Self-Responsibility, Self-Motivation, Self-Management, Interdependence, Self-Awareness, Lifelong Learning, Emotional Intelligence and Believing in Oneself. Thirty-two short articles introduce students to these essential inner qualities; related guided journal entries offer students an opportunity to apply these skills to their own lives. Pre- and post-course self-assessments allow students to gauge their progress in developing these non-cognitive skills. The text also offers extensive coverage of study skills, featuring the unique CORE Learning System that helps students employ active engagement to deepen their learning and improve grades. This section also offers a pre- and post-course self-assessment that informs students which study skills they have mastered and which still need improvement. The text offers numerous additional features that make On Course a favorite with instructors and students alike, including case studies that engage students in the kind of challenges they will face in college, essays on applying On Course Career skills at college and in the workplace, Healthy Choices essays that support students in making wise choices regarding their choices for alcohol use, smoking/vaping, exercise, sleep etc., Tech Tips that identify web sites and apps helpful to students, and “One Student’s Story” essays where students read how their peers have used On Course strategies to dramatically improve their success in college…and beyond.   View Table of Contents and more information about On Course (9th edition)

Why Adopt On Course?
What makes On Course so effective?

To request an EXAMINATION COPY of On Course, contact your college’s Cengage publisher’s Learning Consultant, whose contact information can be found HERE. Be sure to also ask for a copy of the On Course Facilitator’s Manual, which is packed with activities for creating an engaging learner-centered classroom.

To request the ON COURSE SYLLABUS COLLECTION, send an email to workshop@oncourseworkshop.com (be sure to say what you’re requesting). Note: Because the Syllabus Collection contains approximately 100 syllabi from among the 500+ colleges and universities that offer an On Course class, this file takes a while to download.

The biggest plus for the On Course classes I have taught is that students who had little hope begin to have hope for their lives and their futures. Yes, hopeful students are a joy to teach.       –Celia Young, Montgomery College, MD

My campus president recently nominated me for a nationally recognized first-year advocate award, and I had to acknowledge your text, On Course. My students’ journals were amazing, and for the first time I had fun facilitating the class.       –Michael Perez, Grossmont College, CA

My students love the On Course class and the book!!!        –Debbie Douglas, College of the Sequoias, CA

I’m sure you hear constantly how your On Course book and success principles have changed people’s lives; I cannot imagine how anyone could be introduced to them and not be changed. Before our request to start our On Course program was approved, I had been seriously considering finding something to do besides teaching. Being able to use your book and strategies to really impact students’ lives has re-energized me and reminded me why I wanted to become a teacher. I am finding joy in my careen again!       –Lory Conrad, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, AR

On Course Student Essay Contest

Winning essays are published in the On Course text, and student authors receive a $100 prize.