Communities of Practice: A framework for fostering coherence in virtual learning communities

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Educational Technology and Society

Volume

3

Issue

3

Publisher

International Forum of Educational Technology and Society

Publication Date

2000

First Page

384

Last Page

392

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of an on-line workshop that was conducted via the WWW. Using the participant dialogues from the workshop bulletin boards, the author investigates whether Wenger’s (1998) Community of Practice framework can be applied to this educational setting. The results indicate that participants interactions in the workshop demonstrated the characteristics of mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire. These three characteristics are what Wenger posits contribute to a cohesive community of practice. Using this framework, some principles are derived that educators can use to design more cohesive learning communities.

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