What the Best College Teachers Do

Ken Bain’s study, though published nearly two decades ago, remains an influential work in higher education. His findings encourage backward course design and deep learning, treating teaching as scholarship, and building positive relationships with students. For example, in historian and pedagogy expert Kevin Gannon’s book Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto (2020), he builds on Bain’s learning-centered model instead of conceptualizing teaching as a transfer of knowledge. Gannon defines this approach as “radical” because of its power to transform students. He deems the transfer of knowledge irresponsible since it does little to foster critical thinking. He devotes more time to inclusive teaching than Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do (2004), recognizing learners in terms of class, race, ethnicity, gender, and ability. Both Bain and Gannon do not fault students when teaching fails, with the latter recommending teaching methods like inkshedding and gallery walks on his popular blog, The Tattooed Prof.

The COVID-19 pandemic hastened fundamental shifts in higher education as many colleges and universities transitioned to online learning during Spring 2020. As of 2023, many students continue to seek online options for learning via technology like Zoom. Thus, faculty must modify their teaching to engage students in physical and online courses.