[archgrove]

Flyby comment: As someone who straddled academia and industry (but mostly research; never lectured), you have a unique advantage you should utilise: You've done both.

First, most of your students are not going to be academics. They're going into industry. Second, most academics don't have industry experience. They can't link, with the passion of personal stories, the knowledge in the lectures to the work their students will actually be doing.

You can. Use this; liven up the drier parts of the course with war stories. Give concrete context to the abstract. Give them the experience that only a teacher who's been in the trenches can offer.