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 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?
| CoP Domain | Description | Convener Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Campus Community of Learning Advancement (CCoLA) | This CoP offers Campus-based regular meetings to discuss topics and challenges associated with advancing learning at specific ACU campuses and propose recommendations for improvements. | [email protected] |
| Improving teaching and learning in the School on Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine (VITAL) | This CoP is School based and meets on a monthly basis to explore topics relevant to the inter-disciplinary practices. | [email protected] |
| The Ethics Collective | This community of practice supports teaching and grows knowledge and competence of bioethical concepts, principles, laws and theories that support health care practice. | [email protected] |
| Evidence based practice INSPIRE | This CoP revolves around a series of microcredentials and a teaching community focused on finding and applying high-level evidence (metanalyses) | [email protected] |
| Identifying and resolving pressure points in teaching and learning | This CoP meets regularly to resolve pressure points in teaching and learning through timely innovations in teaching and curricula | [email protected] |
| Specialised Learning Environments and Simulation | This CoP revolves around advancing quality, effective and sustainable simulation practice across ACU. The aim is to collectively build capability and capacity to integrate simulation to enhance student centred learning. | [email protected] |
| EMRISE, ACU's simulated electronic medical record | A joint CoP between UTS and ACU for advancing the application and integration of EMR into health curriculum | [email protected] |
| Equity and inclusion | This CoP meets regularly to come to together as a collective to critically think about and progress equity and inclusion in higher education at ACU; with a focus on equity as a shared responsibility across the institution and on structural and systemic change (embedding of equity into ACU's operations) | [email protected] |
| Developing ECRs (early-career researchers) through the research trust program | This CoP meets regularly convened by Jessica Holloway and Steven Lewis from Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at ACU | [email protected] |
| First Nations Perspective Collaborative | This CoP meets regularly to support the embedding of Indigenous knowings and perspective in FHS curricula | |
| Community Engagement | This CoP meets regularly to discuss and promote community engagement in ACU courses | [email protected] |
| Taught Research Supervision | This CoP meets regularly and supports the work of new supervisors in the pre-HDR (PG and UG) research space where there is little training or resources available | [email protected] |
| Diploma Programs at ACU | This CoP supports staff who teach into the Diplomas in Health Sciences (Biomed, Exercise Science, Nutrition) and/or Business/IT | [email protected] |
| Student Retention and Success | This CoP provides a collaborative cross-disciplinary environment to discuss successes, challenges and projects in relation to student retention and success | [email protected] |
| EdTech | This CoP has a broad focus on EdTech and is to share experience, ideas, tips, strategies, solutions, and insights related to the digital tools and technologies that support learning, teaching, and the operational aspects of academic work. | [email protected] |
| Awards and Fellowships (levels 1 & 2) |
This CoP supports those staff interested in achieving Advance HE Fellowships and potential Awards for Teaching |
[email protected] |
| Awards and Senior Fellowships (level 3) |
This CoP supports those staff interested in achieving Advance HE Fellowships and potential Awards for Teaching |
[email protected] |
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