Convening Interdisciplinary Communities of Practice in an Institution of Higher Education

Abstract

Communities of practice (CoP) are rich learning spaces that support knowledge creation, social engagement and practice improvement. In some university settings, there is a buoyant interest in creating and supporting interdisciplinary knowledge and practice. The purpose of the study was to apply an action research approach to explore the emergence of interdisciplinary communities of practice in a university context and to reflect on the practice of convening a CoP. How do communities of practice emerge and what approaches and practices nourish these groups? The authors of this study share a reflection on their role as convenors of CoP and on their work facilitating the emergence of these interdisciplinary groups.