Bringing together two evidence-based "best practices" in developmental education--learning communities and tutoring--seems natural, especially given that they share collaborative learning as a common pedagogical approach. And yet doing so raised questions around the role of the tutor in learning communities. In this article, a faculty development coordinator for learning communities and a writing center director trace the source of this ambiguity to the need for greater pedagogical coherence around the notion of collaborative learning, and highlight the need for both foregrounding and reiterating philosophy in professional development when combining best practices in order to ensure the integrity of each.