Bringing Theory to Practice

What's New at BTtoP?

BTtoP Announces New Round of Grant Support for 2010-2012, requesting proposals from institutions nationwide to address two new strategic emphases: (1) institutional projects related to the connections between civic development and student psychosocial well-being; and (2) how institutions can plan to sustain the projects, priorities and changes that are demonstrably successful in making more likely that the student’s educational experience is truly transformative. **THE 2007-2010 RFP IS STILL IN EFFECT THROUGH JUNE 30, 2010. PROPOSALS ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED, AS LISTED IN THE 2007-2010 RFP, FOR THE CATEGORY I & II MINI AND PROGRAM START-UP GRANTS.**

New Resources Page on BTtoP site! Visit for an overview of various instruments used across BTtoP Demonstration and Intensive Site institutions that have been used to assess engaged learning, civic engagement, and student mental health and well-being, including the BTtoP Toolkit Instrument, which was created for the Project by Dr. Ashley Finley, National Evaluator for BTtoP.  The page also hosts the new BTtoP Glossary, intended to clarify terms such as civic engagement and engaged learning as they are used in the context of the BTtoP Project, as well as a list of Related Projects, whose work intersects with the various tenets of BTtoP.

The April 2009 BTtoP Newsletter is now available on-line. Highlights include: Campus Highlight Georgetown University as the model of curricular infusion; reports now available on-line from the College Outcomes Project and the Cost-Study; and an Open Letter to Parents, "What You Should Expect from your Student’s College or University," from Director of BTtoP Donald W. Harward.

Synopsis

For a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the Project since 2002-2003, please see the Synopsis of the Development of the Bringing Theory to Practice Project.

Mission

The Bringing Theory to Practice Project (BTtoP) encourages colleges and universities to reassert their core purposes as educational institutions not only to advance learning and discovery, but to advance the potential and well-being of each individual student, and to advance education as a public good that sustains a civic society.

The Project supports campus-based initiatives that demonstrate how uses of engaged forms of learning, actively involving students both within and beyond the classroom, directly contribute to their cognitive, emotional, and civic development

The Bringing Theory to Practice Project is sponsored by the Charles Engelhard Foundation of New York City and developed in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. It explores and advocates the academic community's support of engaged learning and the relationship of such learning to student health and civic development.

The project is guided by an interdisciplinary planning group of scholars, researchers, practitioners, and institutional leaders. Currently, there are over 300 colleges and universities across the nation connected to the project, many supported by grants, and many in discussion of these topics on their campuses.