IST 520 Forum 17 – A 5P Look at Communities of Practice

Team 4: Cong Li, Georgina Kester, Michael Johnson, Shay Herr, Zhijie Liang

Mapping Cognitive Science Against Design Theories

The rubric below is an attempt at evaluation of something as complex as a learning theory.
If we believe that the activities listed below are what the cognitive scientists are saying is
valid, then we as teachers and designers and theorists should be informed by those
findings. This draft is worked from the brain-based motivation considerations and from
Gredler, Schumann and the material on how the neurons and glia operate. Please comment
and and add or modify as you see fit.

Communities of Practice
Accounted
For?
Y = Yes
Element of Motivation N= No Comments
NA = Not
Applicable
? = Cannot
Determine
Presentation
The theory considers whether Y The theory does consider
material is relevant to needs and relevant materials usually
goals of the learner facilitated through the
mentor.

The community discusses

what goals or problems
should be addressed, once
decided (usually aided by
the mentor), they’re
considered the goals of the
whole community.

The theory includes Y If the learner voluntarily

consideration as to whether joins a Community of
material and/or Practice (CoP), it’s assumed
presentation/stimulus is novel, is the learner finds
something new and interesting to stimulation in the topic.
the learner

The theory concerns itself with
the presentation approach being
intrinsically
pleasant/interesting/stimulating
/ thought provoking
The theory informs with respect
to areas such as wording, visuals,
audio, language being
manageable and useable to the
receiving group or individual
If the learner is required to
join the CoP (i.e. an
educational course) they
may or may not find
stimulus.
Y The community often
brings their
ideas/experiences to the
conversation, where it can
be analyzed, debated, and
discussed by others with
experiential knowledge
and/or similar
understandings.
The CoP includes “groups
of professionals engaged in
a common practice, who
communicate, negotiate,
and share their best
practice with one another
directly” (Harasim 2017, p.
158).
Y “They can produce useful
documentation, tools, and
procedures because they
understand the needs of
the practitioners” (Harasim
2017, p. 159)
“Dialogue, cooperation,
trust, and creative
interplay of viewpoints
bring about a diversity of
perspectives. Consensus is
arrived at through this
diversity” (Gunawardena et
al. 2004, p.45).
Practice
The theory supports
opportunities being provided to
develop proficiency in application
of the skill, knowledge, ability or
concept
The theory supports practice
activities, to include repetition
and spiraling, designed to
develop automaticity in
responses and execution if
appropriate
The theory requires that practice
is relevant to needs and goals of
the learner
Y/N It concerns itself with
bringing knowledge to the
community through
“creation, management,
[and] sharing”,
(Gunawardena et al. 2004,
p.43) thus providing
transformational learning
However, “The
responsibility for
transformational learning
rests with the learner”
(Gunawardena et al. 2006,
p. 222)
Y/N The community brings
their perspectives together
to create a collaborative
knowledge, but as learners
gain more perspective and
skills “the negotiated and
preserved artifacts”
(Gunawardena et al. 2006,
p. 227) create deeper Cycle
of Inquiry or Spiral of
Inquiry.
Y/N It is to meet the goals of the
community. The theory
uses the Cycle of Inquiry
module which includes 5
steps that “reflect the
process …. of a
collaborative learning
event, the intent of which is
to solve a problem,
discover something, or to
work together to achieve a
common learning goal”
(Gunawardena et al. 2006,
p. 223).
The theory covers self-
assessment or assessment by
other means that evidences that
the Learner can see that
skill/competency acquisition is
taking place
The theory requires practice
activities that are within or
slightly above the learner’s
competency level
The theory requires that practice
be designed to lead to correct
response.
Y/N Assessment is rewarded
through collaboration of
the community, not
individual achievement.
The theory promotes
reflective learning
collectively and
individually. Both of which
are an important aspect of
the transformation of
learning.
The theory promotes
enabling knowledge, which
ensures that the learner
knows “how to use
knowledge, that is, related
the knowledge they have
retrieved to their
individual learning goals,
as well as the larger goals
of the community”
(Gunawardena et al. 2004,
p.222)
Y/N The community accepts all
levels of learner
knowledge. Some might
bring more skills/ability to
the community than others.
Some might raise their
level of knowledge by being
part of the community.
? It’s designed to lead to a
community response that
has been debated and
developed over time, and
to widen or add levels of
complexity.
Production and Posting
The theory encourages
application of the skill,
knowledge/ability or concept
being learned
The theory encourages
publication of whatever is
produced by the learner to group
for peer view and learning
Participation/Collaboration
Theory supports synchronous or
asynchronous review of posted
products
Theory promotes a Community of
Practice/Wisdom/Knowledge
Theory supports some form of
accountability with respect to
who is contributing and how they
are contributing to knowledge
sharing
Y/N Spiral of Inquiry – as the
learners gain knowledge
and skill they are able to
expand or delve deeper
into the topic, issue, etc.
Creating another level of
transformational learning.
Again, transference of
learning is left to the
learner.
Y Its community centered,
and works together to
produce a knowledgeable
agreement of the groups
goals.
Y CoPs “contribute to
advancing knowledge” by
“solving new problems and
documenting the solution,”
which represents a new
“knowledge artifact”
(Harasim, 2017, p. 158)
Y Knowledge is more than
just a solution or artifact, it
is part of participant
practice. The collective
nature of knowledge is
emphasized, and
controversy and debate are
integral to the learning
process.
Y Many times the mentor will
help in this area, especially
within an educational
structure.

Theory accounts for variation in
task readiness and ability to
contribute to group effort to meet
goals
In terms of theory, does the
theory provide for collaboration?
However, Gunawardena et
al., reported mixed
reactions in student
response to the
mentor/student dialog.
“...... an equal number of
students reported little
contact with mentors over
the term and subsequently
reported mentoring as less
effective in supporting
learning. These
results may indicate a need
for formal training for
mentors prior to the
beginning of the course”
(2004, p. 55).
Y It encourages all levels of
knowledge and practice to
join the conversation.
Y CoPs contribute to learning
and building knowledge
through “a mixture of
problem-solving and
socializing discourse”
(Harasim, 2017, p. 162).
Successful CoPs include
participants with strong
bonds and high levels of
interaction.
1. Usability with respect to assessing approaches to existing or projected teaching/design
situations.
The transformational design model for wisdom communities is a great approach if the
teaching/design is based on collaborative learning goals for creation, management, and sharing.
Largely associated with online or distance learning, the model is inclusive to learners of all levels
of ability and skill, and promotes mentoring and learner support.

2. Your recommendation(s) and opinion to your colleagues (recommend, not recommend,

ease of difficulty in understanding the approach, etc)
The model is recommended, particularly for communities that are separated by distance
and goals that do not require a behavioristic objective. Its approach offers the Cycle of Inquiry
and the Spiral of Inquiry, a collaborative process that is more than a set of goals to attain. As the
model is cyclical, it encourages deeper levels of review of the previously acquired
knowledge/goals, thus widening content of the community and the transformation of learning.

3. Your opinion as to which theory, or theories, is dominant.

Multiple learning theories such as constructivism, connectivism, and collaborativism
have been employed in this transformational learning model. The model is mainly based on
socio-constructivist learning theories, sociocultural philosophies, and Vygotsky’s zone of
proximal development; “matching a novice or inexperienced learner with a more experienced
counterpart” (Gunawardena et al. 2006, pg. 220). It focuses on the dissemination of knowledge
throughout the community, linking the social and cognitive methods to produce transformational
learning. Mentors are provided as a key supportive element in the development of learner
knowledge.
 References

Gunawardena, C. N., Jennings, B., Ortegano-Layne, L. C., Frechette, C., Carabajal, K.,

Lindemann, K., & Mummert, J. (2004). Building an online wisdom community: A

transformational design model. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 15(2), 40-

62. doi:10.1007/bf02940929

Gunawardena, C., Ortegano-Layne, L., Carabajal, K., Frechette, C., Lindemann, K., &

Jennings, B. (2006). New model, new strategies: Instructional design for building online

wisdom communities. Distance Education, 27(2), 217-232.

doi:10.1080/01587910600789613

Harasim, L. (2017). Collaborativist scenarios: Online communities of practice. In Learning

theory and online technologies (2nd ed., pp. 156-183). Oxfordshire, England: Taylor &

Francis.