CoP Planning Guide

Do you want to be a part of, or organize, a Community of Practice (CoP)?

Communities of Practice bring together people who share a concern or passion for something they do,  and for them to learn how to do it (or do it better) as they meet regularly. Research suggests that groups that meet together such as these can  foster growth in innovative and scholarly teaching (Furco & Moely, 2012; Richlin & Cox, 2004), increase faculty confidence in teaching (Cox, 2004), and lead to increased student learning and retention, as well as higher rates of tenure (Cox, 2004).

CoPs share a unique combination of three fundamental elements:

1. A domain of knowledge

2. A community of people who care about this domain

3. And the shared practice that they are developing to be effective in their domain (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002).

Consider first your domain – your topic – your raison d’être. It must inspire your members to contribute and participate. Folks will be most excited if they can see an intersection between personal meaning and how they can use the knowledge to help students. Unlike a finite workshop or other event, the community is a group who come together for a sustained period of time to share ideas and best practices, learn together, and even set and work on goals together. Rather than rushing to solve problems, members can bounce ideas off of each other, share successes and tribulations, and support each other in the work of the domain.

Finally, whereas the domain denotes the topic the community focuses on, the practice is the specific knowledge the community develops and shares. The practice might examine both “old” and “new” knowledge, including developing or “cutting edge” knowledge in the field.

Suggested steps for planning a CoP:

1. Domain and Practice: Think about what draws you to your topic. When did you first learn about the topic? What excited you as you began to explore it? How does the body of work influence your practice today? How will it benefit Highline faculty or staff to explore this topic collectively?

2. Community: Who is already doing work in this area? Who else is excited about it? Think about how you became interested in your topic and who else might be interested.

3. Leadership: As coordinator for the CoP, you don’t necessarily need to lead. Leadership can be shared within the group. Wenger et. al (2002) suggest a structure that allows for three different levels of participation, and a structure that allows folks to move between groups as their interest allows: Core group members might be leaders. Active group members are the regular attenders, who may or may not be interested in leading. Peripheral members might want to be on the sidelines – taking notes and observing (p.56).

4. Supplies: Is there a book needed for your community? Faculty may be able to use their professional development allocation. The LTC may also be able to assist. Books should be ordered long enough before the first meeting that folks could do any pre-reading that you deem fit.

5. Communication: Write an announcement for your group’s launch and include the first meeting date. The LTC can help publicize, if you’d like. You can include a google sign-up form to get a sense of numbers. This can also be useful if books need to be ordered.

6. Schedule: Create a rhythm for the group with regular meetings. Aim for somewhere between a frantic and sluggish pace.

7. Location: Reserve a room, and use a door sign for the meetings. Faculty can also request to reserve the Faculty Center for CoP meetings.

8. Refreshments: Check with LTC on the possibility for coffee service. You can also arrange for CoP members to rotate sharing inexpensive snacks.

9. Assessment: Send a survey/administer an evaluation either online, or in person on the last day your group meets to get their input on what worked well for them and what would have worked better for them.