Instructor's Manual Guidelines

Health Administration Press (HAP) textbooks are often accompanied by an Instructor's Manual (IM) to guide instructors and professors when teaching the concepts covered in the text. Consultants who teach seminars or lead retreats may also benefit from an IM. Providing HAP with a manuscript for an IM may be a contract requirement for textbook authors.

Because most textbook authors are teachers themselves, many of the concepts that appear in their texts have, over the years, been tested on and by their students. Therefore, the IM can be viewed as a collection of teaching methods and insights into the application of the concepts discussed in the text. The IM is based on the idea that much of teaching is dependent on the instructor's understanding of the material. Therefore, an IM has to be more than a list of ideas and activities for the teacher; it has to simply but thoroughly convey the book's purpose, messages, and applications. This means that an IM should contain the following elements:

• Introduction. A brief, general introduction refers back to the purpose and contents of the book and discusses the structure of the IM. To make the IM easy to navigate, a chapter-by-chapter structure is preferred.
• Chapter explanation. Theories, models, and lessons in each chapter can be further clarified in this section. Giving plenty of examples not only illustrates points, it also highlights the relationship between theory and practice.
• Key concepts or terms. A short list of main points or a bulleted list of topics with short definitions give instructors a quick view of each chapter.
• Discussion questions. To assist instructors in initiating classroom dialog about the concepts in the text, several discussion questions (and answers) should be suggested. When questions are included in the text, answers must be provided in the IM.
• Solutions. If a textbook includes case problems, the IM must offer solutions with explanations. References to specific page numbers in the chapters are necessary to guide the instructor.
• Suggestions for class activities and assignments. Recommendations on class projects should emphasize practicality rather than the fun factor. For example, assigning a student to shadow for a week an executive whom he or she admires may sound like a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the student, but it is not a realistic activity for either the busy executive or the overwhelmed student. Instead, keep these suggestions basic but informative.
• References. References for further learning (for instructors and students alike) are always a plus. A list of literature (both current and classic), Web sites (both interactive and informative), and organizations (both industry and business related) opens up a world of learning opportunities.

Ancillary teaching tools, such as PowerPoint slides and Excel spreadsheets, help in breaking down the concepts, especially for finance and economics texts. Although a sample of a syllabus is useful, a syllabus cannot be submitted in lieu of an IM. To see examples of existing IMs, contact Jenna Johnson at hap1@ache.org.

The IMs are posted on a secure, password-protected area of the HAP Web site. Access to the Web page is granted free to those who adopt the accompanying textbook.

Return to Welcome page.