Our theory of change (from our SPECC grant proposal): Our work in developmental education is based on the belief that idiosyncratic efforts, while sometimes brilliant and inspiring, cannot effect the same kind of sustainable innovation and improvement that a community of practice can. While we respect each other enormously as individuals, it is as a community that we build understanding and advance our own skills as teachers, and ultimately, offer our students greater opportunity to learn.

Our view: The goal of faculty learning is to build, sustain, and advance an institution's ability to improve student learning over time. This depends upon a culture where learning at all levels is expected and respected broad-based and collaborative investigations into student learning content-based staff development an assessment cycle based on student learning outcomes integration of research and best practice into curriculum and pedagogy

"It is not that teaching is so horrible, or that there are not many excellent teachers. The problem is that teaching as a profession -- and education in general-- has no systematic way of improving itself." Lee Shulman, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching