Good CoP or Bad CoP? What makes a Community of Practice successful: Learning from experience at Flinders University

Abstract

This paper details the current state of play of an institutional learning and teaching community of practice initiative at Flinders University. The majority of Flinders University CoPs are cross-institutional and focussed on key learning and teaching challenges. Flinders University CoPs are voluntarily facilitated by staff and each CoP’s knowledge creation and outcomes are driven by members, with the University providing a framework and support for their activities without institutional expectations.
In this paper, through four firsthand case studies, the authors reflect on the CoPs that they facilitate and consider how the CoPs are progressing by exploring lessons learnt, success factors and potential for future
success. The paper commences with a brief review of relevant literature. Four case studies are then introduced and explored. The paper argues that considerable social learning and collective identity formation has been achieved, but that obstacles remain to future success.