Florida State Open Publishing is pleased to announce the release of Being, Thinking, Doing: Success in College and Beyond, a new open textbook by Florida State University Professor Emerita Mary Stewart.
Designed with instructional flexibility in mind, Being, Thinking, Doing is an adaptable open educational resource well suited for first-year seminars, student success courses, learning communities, gateway courses, and general education curricula. The textbook supports instructors seeking a holistic, skills-based approach to student development, with a modular structure that allows faculty to assign individual chapters or shift the order to fit course concepts.
Being, Thinking, Doing offers a range of strategies that help students develop effective habits, clarify their values, strengthen their thinking skills, and engage meaningfully with their academic and social communities. Over nine chapters, the textbook encourages students to connect self-awareness, creative and critical thinking, and purposeful action in ways that support both academic achievement and personal growth.
The author includes a curated list of helpful resources for continued study, including nonfiction books, TED Talks, and reputable online materials, along with reflective and hands-on exercises that promote deeper understanding and practical application in students’ everyday experiences.
The textbook is freely available as an open educational resource and may be read online or downloaded.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.33009/fsop_stewart0426
Topics Covered
• Organizational strategies
• Creative thinking
• Critical thinking
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Community building
About the Author
Mary Stewart, Professor Emerita, Florida State University, is a co-founder of Integrative Teaching International (https://www.integrativeteaching.org/) and the founding editor of its primary publication, Future Forward. She is also the author of Launching the Imagination: A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design, one of the best-selling design textbooks in North America. She received a Southeastern College Art Association Excellence in Teaching Award in 2010, the FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education) Master Educator award in 2009, and the National Council of Arts Administrators Award of Distinction in 2008. She also completed two Fulbright Fellowships in Canada. The first was at Seneca College in Toronto from 2013 to 2014. The second included residencies at the University of New Brunswick and the University of Waterloo. Her most recent book, Creative Inquiry: From Ideation to Implementation, was published by SUNY Press (https://sunypress.edu/) in 2021. Her artworks have been included in over 90 exhibitions nationally and abroad.
