Good CoPs and bad CoPs: facilitating reform in first-year assessment via a Community of Practice

Abstract

The idea and implementation of learning communities are gaining favour in higher education institutions. In particular, there are a number of successful examples to emerge of the application of the Community of Practice (CoP) framework proposed by Wenger [(1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press] for fostering a learning environment for academics around their teaching practice. In this paper, we describe and reflect on the efficacy of a CoP process that was implemented within our university. The purpose of this CoP was to provide a space for academics to focus on assessment practices for first-year courses and identify opportunities for professional development in this area. For a variety of reasons detailed in the paper, the efficacy of this CoP was limited, and we conclude that in the current higher education environment in Australia, success with CoP approaches to improve learning and teaching outcomes may prove limited.

Creating Learning Communities through Flipped Classes: A Challenge, an Answer, or an Opportunity for Teaching Strategic Human Resource Management?

“…However, it also requires clear goals, adequate preparation, and use of appropriate methods (Beaudoin, 2012). Similarly, within educational institutions, context, policy, and changes in budgets could influence the design of communities of practice and ultimately the learning outcomes (Howlett, Arthur, & Ferreira, 2016). Hence, when developing communities of practice within universities, institutional context, student characteristics, and learning objectives need to be considered.…”

From Periphery to the Core: Promoting College English Teachers’ Professional Development From the Perspective of Community of Practice

“…The quality and quantity of practices that have been developed and exchanged within a COP promotes the members' professional development and a CoP doesn't cease with the accomplishment of one particular objective. It encourages communication, creates collaboration, reduces learning curves for newcomers, and promotes knowledge-building among its members (Howlett, Arthur, & Ferreira, 2016).…”

A Community of Practice Approach to Teaching International Entrepreneurship

“…There exists an extensive theoretical and practitioner-oriented literature advocating CoP as a collaborative approach for promoting situated learning (Wenger 2000) within educational and other organizational contexts (Arthur 2016;Ceptureanu and Ceptureanu 2015;Harris et al 2017;Howlett et al 2016;Koliba and Gajda 2009;Pharo et al 2014;Tight 2004). Scholarship in CoP is mainly based on Wenger's initial research (Wenger 1998;Wenger and Snyder 2000;Lave and Wenger 1998), but also on his latest conceptualization (Wenger 2000(Wenger , 2011.…”

“…Examples of this instrumental usage of CoP can be found in organizations to foster knowledge sharing among employees, named as organizational communities of practice (Ceptureanu and Ceptureanu 2015;Koliba and Gajda 2009;Lee and Williams 2007;Aljuwaiber 2016). Authors such as Hodge et al (2014), Howlett et al (2016), and Tight (2015) support the usage of deliberate CoP in an educational context to enhance students' situated learning. In summary, the deliberate CoP approach can be considered in an educational context to offer a space of learning in which students can experiment with different tasks requiring communication and interaction among them.…”