Robert L. Bangert-Drowns is dean emeritus of the School of Education at the University at Albany, and currently serves on the faculty of the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology. Dr. Bangert-Drowns is widely cited for his research on various aspects of instructional design, including the effects of digital technology in education, the impact of writing on learning, the relationship between frequency of testing and academic achievement, and the role of instructional feedback in learning. His most recent research has focused on how different forms of student engagement influence what and how students learn. He earned his joint Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1986 and joined the faculty of the University at Albany in 1987. In 1988, Dr. Bangert-Drowns established the Albany Consortium for Research in Instructional Design and Theory (ACRIDAT), a forum and work group for students and faculty interested in research on instruction, which he continues to direct.

Dr. Bangert-Drowns was dean of the School of Education from 2008 to 2018. During that time, he helped navigate the School and University through the years of the Great Recession. He helped to grow the teacher preparation pipeline, introduce the first undergraduate major in education to the University in 40 years, establish a suite of online graduate degree programs ranked in the top 10 of the nation, expand the School’s and University’s community engagement, host the Capital Region’s chapter of the NYS Master Teacher Program, and support the School’s Capital District Writing Project. He led the design of a new physical home for the School of Education that would better accommodate a 21st century education, the first move of the School since the University’s establishment in 1963.

Dr. Bangert-Drowns strives to promote the teaching profession, the quality of teacher preparation, and the construction of evidence-based knowledge about learning and effective education in and out of schools. With his wife, he recently founded the Bangert-Drowns Endowment for Diversity in Teaching and Educational Leadership to provide financial support for University at Albany African-American students seeking to enter the education profession. He teaches courses in instructional theory, instructional technology, learning engagement, and scholarly writing.