USG STEM Summit Roundtable Discussion: Communities of Practice CoP – Carolyn Denard & Jeanne Haslam, Georgia College May 17, 2017 Roundtable Discussion: Utilizing Communities of Practice for STEM SI Program STEM Initiative Goal addressed: #2 Improve performance and retention in STEM core courses and majors What is a Community of Practice? Have you ever been in one? Academic or non-academic… The initial concept of Community of Practice (CoP), a term coined by Wenger and Lave in their publication, Learning: Legitimate peripheral publication”, (Lave & Wenger, 1991, p. 49) argues that learning is not just “Situated receiving or absorbing information. Learning is also a social practice where members of a common group share knowledge through collective experiences and endeavors. Wenger’s 1998 book, Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity, focuses on workplace learning. Wenger expanded upon this idea of CoP, linking how social resources shape people’s learning trajectories and their professional identity. Wenger’s notion of CoP is one of the most widely cited and influential conceptions of social learning to date. The purpose of a CoP is to provide a way for practitioners (SI leaders) to tips and best practices, ask questions of their colleagues, and provide support for each other. List the top 3 challenges you have with effectively supporting your SI leaders and addressing improvements of your SI program: 1. 2. 3. solitary job, lots of autonomy, to be part of the bigger picture, handling the Challenges of SI Leaders: ‘power’ of the leadership role, setting healthy boundaries, the challenge of leading/facilitating peers AND engaging content, place to share best practices, brainstorm, learn new collaborative techniques, stimulate participation, safe place to vent & and discuss challenges
USG STEM Summit Roundtable Discussion: Communities of Practice – CoP Carolyn Denard & Jeanne Haslam, Georgia College May 17, 2017 Roundtable Discussion: Utilizing Communities of Practice for STEM SI Program STEM Initiative Goal addressed: #2 Improve performance and retention in STEM core courses and majors What is a Community of Practice? Have you ever been in one? Academic or non-academic… The initial concept of Community of Practice (CoP), a term coined by Wenger and Lave in their publication, “Situated Learning: Legitimate peripheral publication”, (Lave & Wenger, 1991, p. 49) argues that learning is not just receiving or absorbing information. Learning is also a social practice where members of a common group share knowledge through collective experiences and endeavors. Wenger’s 1998 book, Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity, focuses on workplace learning. Wenger expanded upon this idea of CoP, linking how social resources shape people’s learning trajectories and their professional identity. Wenger’s notion of CoP is one of the most widely cited and influential conceptions of social learning to date. The purpose of a CoP is to provide a way for practitioners (SI leaders) to tips and best practices, ask questions of their colleagues, and provide support for each other. List the top 3 challenges you have with effectively supporting your SI leaders and addressing improvements of your SI program: 1. 2. 3. Challenges of SI Leaders: solitary job, lots of autonomy, to be part of the bigger picture, handling the ‘power’ of the leadership role, setting healthy boundaries, the challenge of leading/facilitating peers AND engaging content, place to share best practices, brainstorm, learn new collaborative techniques, stimulate participation, safe place to vent & and discuss challenges
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