Evolution of Communities of Learning Practice in Higher Education: Collective Units of Analysis

Abstract

This study explores the development of Communities of Learning Practice (CoLP) over time, using Wenger, McDermott and Snyder's (2002) indicative developmental model of communities of practice (CoP) as a point of reference. The participants were 23 international graduate students from two different cohorts enrolled in a two-year Learning Sciences master's program. Students from each cohort formed a different community, with Community 1 having thirteen participants and Community 2 having ten participants. A mixed methods approach was adopted to capture community development from different angles. Data were collected through video recordings of community meetings and a needs analysis questionnaire. Results show that although the stages of development suggested by Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002) are apparent in a similar fashion in both communities, they do not follow a linear and smooth sequence, which signifies that communities go through the stages but in their own "living" way.