Communities of practice are essential to the growth and development of a group of people in a common discipline or profession. Faculty need support in their teaching, development of new instructional approaches, and in publishing their scholarship of teaching and learning research. Similarly, students also benefit from a community of practice within their peer group. We explore various ways to establish communities of practice and their impact on participant development.
Novices begin at the outer edges of the community, engaging in legitimate peripheral participation. They move toward the center of the community as they grow in expertise through engagement in, interactions with, and collaboration inside the community. Both students and faculty need communities of practice to support them in becoming. We explore different factors in communities of practice:
- Development of different faculty communities of practice to support teaching innovation, scholarly writing, and inclusion.
- How students view themselves and their peers within the community of practice and the implications of those perspectives.
- Encouraging inclusive communities of practice, both within faculty and within students.
Publications in Refereed Journals and Conferences
Peer Access Supports Community Values: A Social Network Analysis of Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduates Rachelle Pederson, Megan Patterson, Shawna Thomas, in Proc. of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting}, April 2023, to appear.
Lessons Learned: Faculty Watch Parties are a Powerful Approach to Foster Diversity and Inclusivity Discussions Malini Natarajarathinam, Michael Johnson, Lance White, Sara Amani, Samantha Ray, Larry Powell, Tracy Hammond, Shawna Thomas, Robert Lightfoot, Rachelle Pedersen, J. Michael Moore, in Proc. of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, USA, August 2022.
There and Back Again: Lessons Learned from Facilitated Faculty Discussions on the Move Online and then Back Face to Face Shawna Thomas, Tracy Hammond, Kristi Shryock, Randy Brooks, Donna Jaison, Lance White, Robert Lightfoot, in Proc. of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, USA, August 2022.
Convergence in Collaborative Course Design while Remaining Virtual Shawna Thomas, Robert Lightfoot, in Proc. of the IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), Lincoln, NE, USA, October 2021, pp. 1--8.
A Virtual Community of Practice for Enhanced Teaching and Convergence to Strengthen Student Learning, Engagement, and Inclusion Tracy Hammond, Randy Brooks, Shawna Thomas, Charles W. Peak, Pauline Wade, Charles Patrick, Samantha Ray, Paul Taele, in Proc. of the IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), Lincoln, NE, USA, October 2021, pp. 1--8.
Creating a Supportive Space for Teaching-Focused Faculty to Write About their Teaching Tracy Hammond, Shawna Thomas, Charles Patrick, Pauline Wade, Donna Jaison, Janie Moore, Lance White, Randy Brooks, Samantha Ray, Karen Rambo-Hernandez, Karan Watson, in Proc. of the ASEE First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, Virtual, August 2021.
The Development of a Texas A&M University Faculty of Engineering Education Tracy Hammond, Karan Watson, Samantha Ray, Robert Lightfoot, Drew Casey, Shawna Thomas, in Proc. of the ASEE Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference, March 2021.
Presentations, Panels, and Other Publications
Partners in Crime – Collaborative Course Development Shawna Thomas, Robert Lightfoot, Transformational Teaching and Learning Conference (TTLC), Texas A&M University, May 2021.
A Virtual Community of Practice to Enhance Teaching to Strengthen Student Learning Tracy Hammond, Randy Brooks, Shawna Thomas, Charles W. Peak, Charles Patrick, Pauline Wade, Transformational Teaching and Learning Conference (TTLC), Texas A&M University, May 2021.
The Power of a Writing Community Group Tracy Hammond, Randy Brooks, Shawna Thomas, Robert Lightfoot, Transformational Teaching and Learning Conference (TTLC), Texas A&M University, May 2021.
How to Systematically Improve Teaching, Start Conducting Engineering Education Research, and Engage in External Service Related to Engineering Education Tracy Hammond, Michael Johnson, Jacques Richard, Kristi Shryock, Shawna Thomas, Tanya Wickliff, Engineering Education Faculty Group Panel Discussion, Institute for Engineering Education and Innovation, Texas A&M University, March 2021.
Writing Groups 101: Who, What, Why, When, Where, How Tracy Hammond, Robert Lightfoot, Shawna Thomas, Engineering Education Faculty Group Presentation, Institute for Engineering Education and Innovation, Texas A&M University, May 2020.