UConn HNS looks to capitalize on the benefits of cultivating communities of practice as a vehicle for formal professional development on UConn’s campus and alongside partners in Hartford and across the state of Connecticut.
Communities of practice are everywhere; in our workplaces, schools, and within social settings (Clayton & Cuddapah, 2011). In some we are core members and have a voice in determining the direction of the community, while in others we are on the sidelines occupying the role of the observer, taking in information with less of an active role, but still feeling influenced by our participation in the community of practice. The primary focus of community of practice as a concept is on learning as social participation, looking at participation as engagement in events and certain activities (practice) with certain people (community), but also as the process of being active participants in practices of a social community and constructing identities in relation to these communities (Wenger, 1998).
Learn more about our Communities of Practice framework