What the Best College Teachers Do

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Ken Bain’s What the Best College Teachers Do analyzes effective university faculty from various disciplines, emphasizing deep learning and student-centered pedagogy. Bain uses evidence such as student ratings and interviews, class observations, and syllabi, advocating backward course design based on desired learning outcomes. Effective educators view teaching as a research project, valuing compassionate mentorship and the importance of contributing to a community of learners. Bain calls for continual assessment and self-reflection to enhance teaching effectiveness, rejecting the separation of teaching and research.