Quick Tip: Creating Student Online Communities of Practice
by Lilia Savova
Communities of practice (CoPs) differ from group/project teams in that they are organically created and defined by the knowledge and long-term commitment of their members. They go beyond traditional collaboration by establishing a social presence (Wasko & Faraj, 2000) and by having members who share a strong motivation (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002) and higher levels of collaboration (Sveiby & Simon, 2002). Such advanced levels of learning as social engagement are enhanced by online videoconferencing where expertise across cultures and borders is the main organizing principle.
How can you create student online CoPs within the established curriculum and materials?
Creating a CoP Project
Course: CoPs may be used in any English as an additional language class as follow-up to presented material.
Objectives: Objectives may vary according to course goals and lesson objectives with a focus on language material, communicative skills, conversation structures, authentic materials, specific academic purposes, special professional purposes, and student collaboration.
Students: Could be any age group, proficiency level, or any individual or group interests. When choosing groups, the CoPs can include students with similar interests, or perhaps students from different ethnic, linguistic, and other backgrounds.
Project: Students research and negotiate possible project topics related to course content and goals. (E.g., in a vocabulary class, projects may feature the benefits of healthy foods and exercise practices, and in an English language arts class they could incorporate grammar points, such as the simple present tense or indefinite adverbs of time.) Students create an action plan with individual tasks and deadlines. Technically, students could either share their separately created documents (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, etc.) or use Google Docs Collaborate to work jointly on the same document in real time or in their own time. They follow instructions for its completion in stages. Some projects to consider:
- E-posters on a specific cultural issue/event/custom/practice (see the example below).
- Simple or complex infographics that feature one object/event/process, or interrelated objects/events/processes with visuals or visuals and text.
- Course-related webpages, videos (using, e.g., Videolicious), and other online platforms that engage visitors in conversation, discussion, and evaluative activities.
- Intermediate projects, such as reports, interviews, and surveys, can lead to a central project.
Specific tasks within the project may require students to interact with the community. As part of the process of creating a collaborative product, students may use the different features of their online platform. For example, in Moodle, they could use the bulletin board, wikis, and chat rooms. In addition to these (or instead of them), they could also use communication tools and social media of their own preference.
Example
Course: Cross-Cultural Communication
Students: MA in TESOL students
Project: Joint cultural project: an e-poster on a specific cultural issue/event/custom/practice
Objectives: Promote long-term student collaboration in the authentic application and expansion of course-related knowledge. Enhance the social construction of knowledge where students develop important academic and work skills.
Procedure: Students negotiate the following stages and action plans:
- Create a summary of their poster content and design.
- Create a draft e-poster using a resized PowerPoint slide, Canva, or other free apps. Have different CoPs critique the content and design of each other’s posters.
- Upload finished e-posters online (See a sample student poster on “Cross-Cultural Cinderella”)
- Have an online poster presentation session. Use videoconferencing software (e.g., Blackboard Collaborate, GoToMeeting, join.me, Skype) to enable each group to present its poster before the whole class.
Creating online communities of practice engages students in long-term collaborative projects that create lasting friendships. It also allows them to explore and share effective technologies for cocreating their work projects. In this way, it prepares students for complex collaborative professional tasks and challenges beyond school.
References
Wasko, M., & Faraj, S. (2000). "It is what one does": Why people participate and help others in electronic communities of practice. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 9(2-3), 155–173.
Sveiby, K., & Simon, R. (2002). Collaborative climate and effectiveness of knowledge work – an empirical study. Journal of Knowledge Management, 6(5), 420–433.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston, MA: Harvard Business.
Dr. Lilia Savova has worked as teacher educator in Bulgaria, South Korea, and the United States. She has published EFL textbooks, scholarly articles, and book chapters and presented nationally and internationally.
 in comparison to small groups and offers an example of an electronic poster project that could be completed in a CoP. She also provides examples of adaptations of this project for different audiences, educational goals, and contexts. ');){kind=small}
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