30.1: Introduction

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Learning outcomes

Describe the concept of Community of Practice (CoP)
Explain why CoPs are important for e-learning practitioners.
Identify the resources required to develop an online community.
Synthesize concepts and aspects that comprise successful communities.
Apply Wenger, McDermott & Snyder’s (2002) seven principles of community design to design an online community project.

E-learning now makes it feasible for groups to learn and work collaboratively in an online virtual group of knowledgeable, experienced, like-minded peers, regardless of physical locations. These types of groups, called communities of practice (CoPs), can be a powerful support for gathering new knowledge and for putting it into action. CoPs are being used to enhance the success of many businesses, not-for-profit, social action, and academic endeavours.

As instructors in college and university settings are being asked to focus on teaching and learning, we are witnessing the development of a new discipline, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). SoTL has among its goals the understanding and improvement of the teaching-learning process in classroom-based, online, and blended environments. It involves dialogue among instructors about their best practices, and this leads to the development of social communities in which new avenues in teaching and learning can be explored and shared. CoPs, both face-to-face and online, are powerful enablers of these dialogues.

To help you understand and implement CoPs in your context, this chapter presents a practical guide to developing and maintaining your own CoP. It also provides an overview of the conceptual foundations of CoPs. Case studies throughout the chapter describe the conception, growth, challenges, and triumphs of several CoPs in action.