Designing the future of learning through a community of practice of teachers of first year courses at an Australian university

McDonald, Jacquelin and Star, Cassandra (2006) Designing the future of learning through a community of practice of teachers of first year courses at an Australian university. In: The First International LAMS Conference: Designing the Future of Learning, 6-8 December 2006, Sydney, Australia.

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Abstract

This paper argues that the future of learning, and the facilitation of quality teaching within that future, face significant challenge within the current Australian higher education context. A Community of Practice (CoP) approach to meeting the individual, institutional and societal demands on university teaching and learning provides the opportunity to meet these challenges, while supporting teachers and recognising their existing knowledge and expertise in designing the future of learning. CoPs provide a context for sustained professional conversations around identified domain and practice issues. They provide valuable professional support for academics who are increasingly overwhelmed by continuous change, excessive workloads and research output demands. The practice of CoPs generates a range of artefacts that embody jointly constructed knowledge objects, which can then be integrated into the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS). Ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of a CoP within higher education requires the recognition and alleviation of academic time poverty, the provision of appropriate institutional and financial support, and the ability to provide valuable and measurable outcomes from the community.

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Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Commonwealth Reporting Category E) (Paper)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	Jacquelin McDonald is a staff member at the LTSU. No evidence of copyright restrictions on web site.
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business - Department of Economics and Resource Management (Up to 31 Mar 2007)
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Historic - Faculty of Business - Department of Economics and Resource Management (Up to 31 Mar 2007)
Date Deposited:	11 Oct 2007 00:54
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2013 22:41
Uncontrolled Keywords:	community of practice, professional development, first year course teachers, higher education, LAMS
Fields of Research (2008):	13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130313 Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators 13 Education > 1301 Education Systems > 130101 Continuing and Community Education
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/1935

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