ACU hosts multiple Communities of Practice recognising the importance of a landscape of community-based learning where peers may initiate a purposeful but informal community with a shared interest in a specific domain and field of practice. ACU encourages staff and students to engage freely in such communities to benefit themselves, their peers and the university. Communities of Practice were first defined by Etienne Wenger-Traynor (1998): “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly”, (in Wenger-Traynor, 2015, p.1).

CoP may also be referred to as Professional Learning Communities, Learning Networks or Social Learning Communities. In each case, learning is recognised as occurring in the context of our lived experience. CoP are dynamic, of diverse scale, meet as often as they deem useful, are often self-organising and create value for individuals and organisations.

Would you like to join a Community of Practice at ACU? Below is a list of current CoP and their Convener contacts. Why not send an email and join in?