Online Community of Practice (CoP) as a collectivist learning tool for a culturally diverse postgraduate student group

Abstract

Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that many overseas students were enrolled in Australian Tertiary education in 2004, indicating 8.6% increase in overseas students from 2003. While higher education institutions, typically universities, are increasingly reliant on fee paying students, academics are struggling to meet the educational needs of an increasingly diverse student group. Many students’ educational experience involved teaching and learning method and assessment expectations considerably different to that expected at Australian universities, especially at the post-graduate level. This, in turn, requires a different approach to teaching and learning to assist them to be able to succeed in what is a new and foreign educational environment. This study reports the use of an online Community of Practice (CoP) and group assessment to both support Asian students’ transition from one educational system to another as well as continuing to meet the needs of western educated students. Results to date are very encouraging. Keywords: Assessment, Cultural Diversity, Communities of Practice, Learning Groups, Plagiarism, Academic misconduct