Ken Bain

Ken Bain devoted his career to history, university teaching, and faculty development as an American historian, educator, and scholar. He founded several centers focused on learning and faculty development. What the Best College Teachers Do grew from a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred instructors across different subjects and institutions. Published by Harvard University Press in 2004, the book asks how effective teachers understand their disciplines, design learning environments, set expectations, and evaluate their own work. It received the Virginia and Warren Stone Prize for a book on education and society. Bain later extended his research in What the Best College Students Do and continued working through the Best Teachers Institute.