Session Information
11 ONLINE 47 A, Approaches, theories and models of education quality
Paper Session
MeetingID: 868 4564 4597 Code: zUfh53
Contribution
Some specialists find online learning to be a lonely experience (Illeris, 2014) and, consequently, sense of belonging does not seem to be a concept applicable to online learners (Peacock, S., Cowan, J., Irvine, L., & Williams, J., 2020).
The University of Bucharest is developing the Erasmus + E-BELONG project - Sense of Belonging in Online Learning Environments to identify best practices that could enhance teaching and learning when using digital tools and create conditions for social and emotional engagement of students in online learning.
A survey initiated at the beginning of the project highlighted that the main factors contributing to the sense of belonging applied to teachers in university education in the context of the online work carried out during the pandemic period are :
- Common vision/goals;
- Personal values, commitment, dedication, vocation, human quality, expectation compatibility;
- Colleagues, networks, membership, inclusion, participation, team activities, social activities, joint projects, common research interests, centres, events;
- Research and teaching support (training opportunities/career development);
- Facilities;
- Environment/climate;
- Tradition, you representing the university, events, ceremonies;
- Request of opinions, dialogue, openness to innovation, appreciation, acknowledgement;
- Trust, freedom, respect, participation to decisions, good relationship with management (management understanding the realities/needs), lack of corruption, meritocracy.
The experts answers were associated by the analysis of the content units in the clusters illustrated above. Looking at them as a whole we realized that they describe the organizational solution of the community of practice.
The idea of communities of practice is not new, it has been explored in the literature of the 2000s, in particular. But these results have shaped the solution of a virtual communities of practice that meets all these needs of e-belonging .
Method
This paper exemplifies through case study methodology the developing of a community of practice and how it could be implemented as an innovative solution for institutional development. During this implementation process we mark as a first step a focused research of the literature, as well as the diagnosis of the internal and external organizational environment. Wenger defines communities of practice (CoPs) as “social learning systems” (2010, p. 179) characterized by the presence of “a group of people formally (un) connected by common experience and passion for a common enterprise” (Wenger & Snyder, 2000, pp. 139). Our community of practice case study has as domain the inclusive education. Our approaches about virtual communities of practices were based on tools such as: - the Voice of the beneficiary (3 focus groups with institutional stakeholders - teachers in higher education, students and teachers in pre-university education), - rubrics tool for institutional services evaluation and - the Affinity Matrix for identifying development scenarios of the Community of Practice.
Expected Outcomes
For the analysis of our findings we used the logframe indicators illustrated by Briggs, X.D. (2003). Communities of Practice: A New Tool for Government. • Establishing a foundation of strong shared vision and values; • Multi-membership: • Shared technical infrastructure: • Events at various levels: • Subdivide along various dimensions: geography, topic, role, and others. Topical and role-based subgroups provide a way to connect members across regions—strengthening the overall fabric and connectedness of the entire network. • Logistical support infrastructure: • Creating a “brand • Subsidiarity: • Timescale
References
Behal, A., & Mitchell, S. R. (2017). Leading and Managing Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs): A Contextual Understanding and Exploration. Review of Professional Management, 15(2), 1-7 Briggs, X.D. (2003). Communities of Practice: A New Tool for Government, IBM Center for Business of Government Hoffmann T, Desha L, Verrall K. Evaluating an online occupational therapy community of practice and its role in supporting occupational therapy practice. Aust Occup Ther J. 2011;58(5):337–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2011. Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) For the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Under Grant Planning for Communities of Practice: A Guide for Model Systems Grantees (2012) Pender Greene, M. Virtual Communities of Practice. Encyclopedia of Social Work. Retrieved 4 Feb. 2022, from https://oxfordre.com/socialwork/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.001.0001/acrefore-9780199975839-e-1068. Wenger, E. (2010) Communities of practice and social learning systems: the career of a concept. In Blackmore, C. (Editor) Social Learning Systems and communities of practice. Springer Verlag and the Open University.
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