Setting up a community of practice

Communities of practice in e-learning

Having a shared goal is a huge motivator. After all, isn't it much more fun to work together? And doesn't it feel much more significant when you aren't just pursuing a goal on your own, but others also need you to achieve theirs?

What is a community of practice?

Communities of practice are groups of people with a shared goal, problem, concern, or interest.

Communities of practice are often focused on exchanging best practices and gaining or creating new knowledge to advance a particular profession or field. Communication is an essential part of this.

Characteristics of a community of practice

There are three characteristics of a community of practice:

1. ‍Domain. Members of the community have, for example, a shared interest, skill, and/or commitment regarding a specific topic. This common factor creates a foundation, inspires members to participate, and guides their learning and the actions they take together.
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2. ‍Community. Through joint activities, discussions, brainstorming to solve problems, sharing information, and building relationships, the foundation of the community is established and strengthened.
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3. ‍Practice. The members of the community of practice build a shared database of resources, ideas, future visions, etc. All members can take this knowledge, skill, and inspiration into their daily professional practice.

Communities of practice examples

Furthermore, not every community of practice is the same. There are 4 types of communities of practice.

1. ‍Helping communities. Providing a forum for community members to help each other with daily work needs.‍‍
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2. ‍Best Practice communities. Developing and disseminating best practices, guidelines, and strategies for use by their members.‍‍
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3. ‍Knowledge Stewarding communities. Organizing and managing a body of knowledge that community members can draw from.‍‍
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4. ‍Innovation communities. Creating groundbreaking ideas, new knowledge, and new practices.

Communities of practice & e-learning

E-learning provides a stable foundation for forming, maintaining, and further developing communities of practice.

After all, participants in e-learning have signed up because they want to learn about the specific subject of the course. This is something all students have in common—a binding factor. This forms a solid basis for setting up a community of practice.

In addition, online learning platforms increasingly offer opportunities to start and maintain an active community. Chatting, live sessions, Q&As, etc.—all are ways to connect students with one another. Some platforms (such as Pluvo) also offer a library where gathered information or proposed ideas can be easily stored and consulted by all members.

The stronger the connection between members, the greater the chance they will feel motivated to truly dive into the e-learning, complete it, and perhaps even supplement it with new ideas, knowledge, resources, etc.

When employers offer e-learning to their employees, for example, there is a good chance these employees already know each other. In that case, the foundation of the community of practice has essentially already been laid in the workplace. Offering e-learning that prioritizes its associated community is then a very valuable next step in connecting these employees.

Community of practice tips

1. Be clear about the purpose. Make it clear what the goal is and what the community is about. Ensure this resonates with your target audience and sparks their curiosity. Be as clear as possible.‍
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2. Communicate your structure. Will you be meeting via Zoom every two weeks? Or meeting in person once a quarter? Ensure the structure is clear and that everyone adds the dates to their calendar.
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3. ‍Encourage engagement. As a facilitator, lead by example by posting and involving colleagues. Agree on how often you will post to ensure the community stays active.‍
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4. Gather feedback. Constantly collect feedback from the community: what topics do they find important? And what would they like to discuss more often? Keep developing your community.

Do you also want to start, maintain, or further develop a community of practice? Try Pluvo for free!

Join Learning Innovators; our own community of practice!

Did you know that we at Pluvo also have our own community of practice? Our very own Learning Innovators group consists of e-learning fans who share their knowledge and experiences with each other so that others can learn from them. Come join us and keep building your knowledge about e-learning!