Professional development (PD) is needed throughout a teacher’s career to keep up with changes in teaching methods, policies or standards, technologies, curriculum reforms, and student population traits (Sancar et al., 2021). The increasing influence of technology on academic work has required faculty to engage not only in the adoption of new tools and platforms, but also in the effective integration of these technologies into their teaching and research practices (ALShidi, 2025). Designing and implementing effective PD for faculty members in higher education institutions, especially when emerging technologies are involved, requires consideration of context and organizational culture (Marker, 2009; Rajashekara et al., 2020). Academic culture in higher ed organizations “is essential to the success of improvement efforts. Culture, including everything from professional expectations to social relationships, strongly influences how performance interventions are implemented and their sustainability over time. Without cultural support, improving performance is an uphill battle that rarely leads to desired results” (Marker, 2009, pp. 721–722).
In this paper, we present the rationale, procedure, tools, and evidence of success for designing and sustaining a structured faculty Community of Practice (CoP) with a customized Logic Model approach (Chang & Lee, 2020). A CoP is “a learning partnership among people who find it useful to learn from and with each other about a particular domain. They use each other’s experience of practice as a learning resource” (Wenger, Trayner, & De Laat, 2011, p.9). The principles for sustaining a CoP’s success include sustaining institutional support and resources, designing for evolution, providing space to facilitate dialogue, inviting different levels of participation, focusing on values and goals, and creating a rhythm for the community (Snyder & Wenger, 2010).
Evolving educational technologies can affect teaching and learning in multiple ways (Spector, 2013). These in turn can sway expectations for teaching and learning, perceptions of collaboration and innovation, evaluation of technology resource investment, research of pedagogical soundness, investigation of instructional design implications, and evaluation of disciplinary suitability.
By applying a customized Logic Model, institutions can systematically approach the design and implementation (as well as evaluation) of faculty development programs. The key elements of a Logic Model, as described in W.K. Kellogg Foundation (2004, p. 2), are:
Inputs: “the human, financial, organizational, and community resources a program has available to direct toward doing the work.”
Activities: “what the program does with the resources...the processes, tools, events, technology, and actions that are an intentional part of the program implementation.”
Outputs: “the direct products of program activities and may include types, levels and targets of services to be delivered by the program.”
Outcomes: “the specific changes in program participants’ behavior, knowledge, skills, status and level of functioning.”
Impacts (sometimes combined with Outcomes): “the fundamental intended or unintended change occurring in organizations, communities or systems as a result of program activities...”
Crucially, the model requires distinguishing between Outputs and Outcomes and planning for ongoing evaluation to measure success and inform future iterations (Hines, 2015; McKenney & Reeves, 2019; Philipsen et al., 2019). Using this framework, CoP program designers can clearly define Outcomes, such as innovative teaching methods or better engaging students in learning. These can then inform the Outputs of PD, such as interactive learning objects. CoPs without Outputs or Outcomes envisioned are unlikely to be fruitful (Cox, 2005). Program designers can work backward from the intended Outputs to develop targeted Activities for faculty, including learning and using new functions and creating teaching artifacts in digital formats. Planning the Activities should include methods for collaboration support and the estimated length, frequency, and format of CoP meetings. Consideration of Inputs is essential to successful CoPs. These may include technology risk mitigation, sponsorship, resources and facilities, and function experimentation, as well as instructional design and educational technology talent investment, and recruitment of participants.
During 2021 and 2022, a team of interdisciplinary instructional faculty, instructional designers, and academic librarians piloted the design and implementation of two consecutive semester-long cohorts of a structured CoP. This project was inspired by a campus initiative to promote innovative teaching with emerging digital technologies. The structured faculty CoP format was selected because it provided an evidence-based practice and mechanism to collaboratively and sustainably address a variety of emerging challenges in higher education (Bond & Lockee, 2018). The intended Outcome of these CoPs was innovative teaching with H5P interactive digital learning objects with integration into Canvas, the university’s learning management system (LMS), for learning assessment.
Based on the Inputs of H5P.com technologies and LMS, facilitation, and faculty participants, the team developed Activities for the CoP. These included demonstrating H5P functions, presenting teaching and engagement strategies, and providing time for participants to create H5P digital objects on a practice Canvas site. The CoP facilitators were enrolled as students on this site to roleplay learning interaction with the H5P objects. Between CoP meetings, the team met to discuss strategic design, preparation, experimentation, and project management. They also communicated via asynchronous chat and in comments on shared documents. The team members took on different roles during the CoP meetings, serving as session facilitators, technology demonstrators, and note-takers. At the end of the CoP, the participants each showcased their Outputs: a learning object created in H5P that would be used in one of their courses.
The iterative development process enabled the team to lead the CoPs and solve real-world problems related to teaching and learning. The team systematically studied this process as educational design research (McKenney & Reeves, 2019). Educational design research (EDR) was adopted by its cycles of analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation in authentic educational contexts (McKenney & Reeves, 2019). The CoPs EDR were needed to fill gaps in previous CoP studies (Smith et al., 2017).
A phenomenological study resulted in captured evidence of Outcomes and Impact, as demonstrated by enhanced student evaluation of teaching. Feedback received from faculty who participated in the CoP included comments such as:
“sometimes when I’m doing innovation, I can feel isolated and that no one else understands or appreciates what I'm doing. And so having this community of practice where others are trying to be innovative has made the work feel valued…”
“the very thoughtful composition of the different faculty members who are being part of this. And that we can support each other with the experts.”
Starting in 2021, a parallel CoP was developed to support the peer learning and advocacy of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This project was intended to help remove barriers to learning for all students. The Instructional Designers prepared for this project using resources about UDL created by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology). The envisioned Output was a faculty co-designed and co-developed UDL initiative, named Learning Access through Universal Design (LAUD). This initiative consisted of a CoP anchored by a self-paced PD learning opportunity for faculty (Bollinger et al., 2023).
This CoP engaged a growing number of collaborators across campus, including nearly 70% of faculty in one of the seven degree-granting colleges. With an average faculty load of two to three courses per semester, the PD faculty gained from the CoP affected a large population of students from 2021 to 2023. The program was recognized with a state-level award for innovations in technology in the “Best Customer Experience Initiative” in the Education category.
Following the success of the self-paced LAUD PD, two LAUD fellowship CoPs were implemented between 2022 and 2024. One lasted an academic year, and the other spanned a semester. These CoPs included high-touch, in-depth mentoring. The participants collaborated asynchronously and focused on redesigning courses or assessments with UDL and integration of accessibility technology. These CoPs demonstrated relationship building with faculty and scalability beyond synchronous meeting structures. They also helped seed UDL across campus through fellows in different disciplinary areas.
The structured CoP with iterative Logic Model provides a replicable framework for faculty professional learning across institutional contexts. Several design principles emerged:
Intentional Alignment with Organizational Culture as Input: Institutional endorsement and cultural readiness are foundational for sustainability.
Iterative Logic Modeling: Regular refinement of inputs, outputs, and outcomes keeps the CoP responsive to participant needs.
Evidence-Based Facilitation: Combining design research and reflective practice enhances both rigor and relevance.
Focus on learning access: Integrating UDL principles to broaden engagement and access.
These principles demonstrate how professional development initiatives can evolve from isolated efforts into systemically supported communities of innovation.
Structured Communities of Practice grounded in design and implementation with iterative Logic Model offer a practical and evidence-based framework for advancing faculty PD. This model connects institutional culture, technology integration, and reflective teaching practices through collaborative learning design. As higher education continues to adapt to rapid technological and pedagogical changes, faculty CoPs designed with iterative logic and institutional support can drive sustainable innovation. Future research and practice can further explore scaling this model across institutions and disciplines, emphasizing long-term outcomes such as cultural transformation and pedagogical resilience.
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