Harper College will be closed on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.
The information found below includes a guide, a description of the annual cycle for Communities of Practice, the Action Plan Template, and workshops available for CoP development and facilitation.
The Communities of Practice (CoP) initiative is a faculty-driven development opportunity that aims to foster collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement in teaching and learning across our institution. CoPs provide a structured space for faculty collectively defined action.
For further information on the program, please review the Communities of Practice Guide for specific information about the program, including guiding principles, policies and procedures.
The Community of Practice program at Harper has an annual cycle that guides CoPs to create shared ownership for their collaborative learning experiences and ensure that learning translates into action by outlining planned assessment efforts and defining the group’s approach to sharing their work.
The cycle begins with each CoP presenting an Action Plan draft to the Academy through a brief presentation and discussion at Action Plan-tasia in the fall semester. Plan-tasia offers each group 10 minutes to share their ideas and 5 minutes for discussion. This format allows Academy leaders to provide feedback on each CoP’s Action Plan and consider any funding requests. As part of the improved action planning process, each CoP will also have the opportunity to identify a workshop that meets their needs and schedule it with the Academy for their group.
New CoPs begin with “CoP Formations: Establishing Roles and Norming,” and continuing CoPs choose from:
Focused professional development provides an opportunity for each CoP to receive quality support for their experience as they implement, assess, and disseminate their learning.
At the end of the cycle, the annual Share-ousel in the spring semester provides all CoPs an opportunity to showcase their work for the year through a poster session in which attendees rotate around the room at timed intervals and and give and receive feedback on one another’s ideas and artifacts through a feedback grid. This event includes lunch and music and offers the CoPs a chance to celebrate their work and continue to generate and refine ideas with their colleagues.
Each Community of Practice should work together to develop an annual Action Plan that includes members, shared interest statement, goals, project description, action steps, and resource requests.
This action plan will help members participating in the CoP to create shared ownership for their collaborative learning experiences and describe how that learning translates into action by outlining planned assessment efforts and defining the group’s approach to sharing their work at Harper College.
Schedule a workshop for your CoP by contacting the Academy Chair: Stephanie Whalen, swhalen@harpercollege.edu, 847.925.6324.