Perry Binder ‘81, a professor at Georgia State University, recently authored his fourth book, helping professors and teachers brainstorm creative ways to engage students.

The book, “Innovative College Teaching: Tips & Insights from 14 Master Teachers,” is split into two parts. The first contains Binder’s views on topics like artificial intelligence in the classroom and the value of “making the first day and every day of class memorable.” Part two features insights from more than a dozen “master teachers,” highlighting their approaches to class instruction.

Binder described how the growth of artificial intelligence has created new benefits and obstacles for students, recalling the pessimism from professors during ChatGPT’s 2022 rise, who were afraid generative A.I. would make it easier for students to cheat.

“I was determined to find useful and ethical applications for higher education,” Binder wrote in an email. “To me, the great thing about A.I. is how I can create class activities quickly, sensitize students to the positive uses and limitations of A.I., and develop students’ critical thinking skills by creating solutions on their own and then testing how those solutions measure up to A.I.’s answers. I provide several examples of this in ‘Innovative College Teaching.’”

Throughout part two, each instructor discusses unique teaching styles from fields of study ranging from education to science, including general teaching tips. Binder was inspired to acquire new methods of innovative teaching after interviewing other educators. In his book, he shares an anecdote about his experience coaching a team of business students in an international mediation competition.

“These students had zero exposure to mediation training, and went up against many students who were Conflict Resolution majors,” the excerpt reads. “They had five weeks to learn how to mediate a dispute and switch roles from mediator to advocate to client in mock mediation sessions. The same amount of training time that Rocky had to fight world champion, Apollo Creed. The students worked hard and performed admirably. They demonstrated skill, patience, empathy, and poise under pressure, and articulated reflective insights.”

Binder, a former litigation attorney, has been recognized for his excellence in teaching. He was awarded Georgia State University’s Sparks Service Award in 2021, which honors college faculty, staff or students that “exemplify a willingness to go the extra mile with good humor and perseverance.”

Binder shared the writing process behind the book, which pushed him to think critically about how his class runs during the semester. He also gave insight into the writing process of his previous book, “99 Motivators for College Success,” which was sent nationwide to high school seniors from 2016 to 2022 as part of the Book Award Program at Randolph College. He said the inspiration behind “99 Motivators” came from reading an interview with another author who wrote a book containing 101 sales tips.

“There’s a saying I never liked: ‘Writers write,’” Binder wrote. “Sure, if you are Stephen King, you can crank out a zillion quality words each day. I marvel at that kind of skill. But most people are part-time writers where you come up with ideas and write here and there. The hard part is getting started. Once you are motivated and get into a zone, you will be amazed at how fast the words can flow. It doesn’t matter if the words aren’t great — fix that when you go back and edit and re-edit.”