Toward ‘hybridised’ faculty development for the twenty‐first century: blending online communities of practice and face‐to‐face meetings in instructional and professional support programmes

Abstract

This manuscript begins with a synthesis of research on communities, communities of practice (CoPs), and the potential for their development in online forums, while specifically discussing the value of virtual CoPs for educational professionals in higher education. Working within constructivist and sociocultural frameworks, this manuscript addresses how online forums for faculty support can be beneficial in ways distinct from face‐to‐face environments. Further, this paper presents an argument for the hybridisation of faculty development by suggesting that online forums for collegial interaction are viable and culturally sensitive complements to traditional face‐to‐face faculty support, socialisation, and mentoring programmes. In conclusion, resources that can assist in designing a hybrid model of faculty development are offered.

Keywords:

• communities of practice
• faculty development
• faculty learning communities
• hybrid environments
• Web‐based communication
• computer‐mediated communication

Acknowledgements

I am especially grateful to Dr. Amy Bippus – she spurred my thinking on computer‐mediated support for campus faculty members. I also want to thank Vincent J. Del Casino for supporting me in this work as well as the anonymous reviewers for reminding me that journal readerships are communities in their own right.