Stronger Together: Building Communities of Practice in Education - EDU-X734V
Course Description
Build and Sustain Communities of Practice that Turn Collaboration Into Meaningful Professional Growth and Lasting Organizational Change
This course introduces educators to Communities of Practice as a model for collaborative professional learning and institutional change. Drawing on the work of Wenger and contemporary scholarship on equity-minded practice, participants will explore how Communities of Practice bring educators together to share expertise, reflect on challenges, and develop collective strategies for addressing systemic issues within educational environments. Through readings, case studies, curated videos, and applied design activities, participants will examine how Communities of Practice can support professional growth, strengthen institutional initiatives, and advance equity-focused work in education. By the end of the course, participants will develop a Community of Practice implementation plan tailored to their own professional context, equipping them with practical tools to launch and sustain collaborative learning communities within their organizations.
Learner Outcomes
- Explain the foundational concepts of Communities of Practice, including the elements of domain, community, and practice (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner).
- Analyze how collaboration among educators can address institutional challenges and support professional learning.
- Identify systemic challenges within their educational context that could be addressed through collaborative inquiry.
- Design and propose a Community of Practice tailored to their professional environment, including its purpose, structure, and facilitation strategies.
Course Details
Number of Units: 3.0 graduate level extension credit(s) in semester hours
Who Should Attend: This course is designed for educators and education leaders committed to advancing equity by addressing systemic injustices rather than locating deficits in students.
Grading and Feedback: This course is entirely self-paced and automated. Unlike our standard courses, it features no instructor interaction, and no feedback. The final assessment is automatically graded utilizing internal systems.
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites required. However, participants should have professional experience working in educational settings, such as teaching, academic leadership, instructional design, faculty development, or educational administration. Familiarity with challenges related to teaching, learning, or student success will help participants engage more deeply with course materials and apply course concepts to their own professional contexts.
Independent Study Self-Paced