Exploring Communities of Practice in Higher Education: Building an Inclusive University Culture

Exploring how wide-ranging debates have supported, extended, repositioned, or conflicted with the original notion of Communities of Practice (CoPs) as sites of situated learning, this book argues that they can be cultivated and managed in higher education settings to create and support an inclusive culture for teaching and research, and career development.

Against the backdrop of more traditionally orientated volumes that focus on CoPs as a tool for supporting teaching and learning in the classroom, this scholarly work tackles university culture related to curriculum development, knowledge exchange activities, research, and academic careers to offer a critical appraisal of often disparate themes and epistemological perspectives in which CoPs have been applied. Critical in approach and theoretical in nature, chapters explore how CoPs can support an inclusive university research culture, offering insights on their management, cultivation and legacies. Contributions also look at their ability to help build external relationships between academics, practitioners and businesses, as well as discussions on individual identity construction and participation.

Ultimately examining the potential for CoPs to shape the future of academic institutions, this book will appeal to scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students in higher education, inclusive education and educational policy.

Steven Pattinson is Visiting Research Fellow, Newcastle University Business School, UK.