Communities of Practice in Higher Education
Summary
Communities of Practice (CoPs) in higher education are groups of individuals—students, academics, practitioners and other stakeholders—who share a concern or passion for a domain of practice and engage regularly to deepen their collective knowledge. Originating from social learning theory, CoPs extend beyond traditional classrooms by fostering peer-to-peer interaction, identity formation and collaborative problem‐solving. Within universities, they underpin faculty development, support interdisciplinary research, enhance pedagogical innovation and prepare graduates for professional environments. Technology‐mediated platforms further expand CoP reach, enabling cross-institutional and global engagement. Through governance structures and reflective processes, CoPs can sustain continuous learning, bridge theoretical and applied knowledge and contribute to institutional change across diverse cultural and disciplinary contexts.
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Communities of Practice in Higher Education publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in communities of practice in higher education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Community of Practice: A group of people who share a domain of interest and interact regularly to improve their collective expertise through social learning.
Governance model: A structured set of components—such as technological, social and epistemic elements—guiding the organisation, roles and processes within a Community of Practice.
Value Creation Framework: A conceptual tool for analysing the benefits and learning outcomes that participants derive from engagement in a Community of Practice.
References
- A model for enhancing creativity, collaboration and pre-professional identities in technology-supported cross-organizational communities of practice. Education and Information Technologies (2023).
- Addressing Complex Social Problems Using the Lens of Family Violence: Valuable Learning from the First Year of an Interdisciplinary Community of Practice. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
- A model for design of online health professions education faculty development courses in sub-Saharan Africa. BMC Medical Education (2023).
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