Communities of Practice (CoP) as a Model for Integrating Sustainability into Higher Education

Abstract

The University of Tasmania (UTas), Australia, made the commitment to adopt a plan for incorporating environmental literacy and sustainability into teaching and learning practices for all undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as within research, operational activities, and the community. The systematic goal was Education for Sustainability (EfS). To move towards this goal, a Community of Practice (CoP) in EfS was established in 2011. This chapter describes the establishment process for this CoP along with key milestones from 2011 through 2013. Paramount among these is the impact of the CoP on EfS at UTas and beyond and the phases involved—from initiation to maturation to ongoing regeneration—are explored. The diverse membership of the CoP, which includes students, academics, professional/operational staff, and community members, is elaborated upon in this chapter to ensure each role is understood as well as the challenges that arise from such diverse initiatives (60+ members).

Supporting collaborative and continuing professional development in education for sustainability through a communities of practice approach

“…One of those activators then assumed the role of integrator to facilitate the CoP in its first year. The establishment of the EfS CoP and a preliminary evaluation of the EfS CoP's first year is reported on by Murray and Salter (2014).…”

Transformative education: towards a relational, justice-oriented approach to sustainability

“…The importance of so-called CoPs is increasingly acknowledged in the sustainability discourse as well as within the field of transformative learning (Murray and Salter, 2014). CoPs are based on the work of Wenger et al (2002) and defined as "a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis" (Murray and Salter, 2014, p. 4).…”