CPsquare

Workshop Format

The workshop format is that of a graduate seminar in the sense that it is very interactive, and participants are expected to engage actively in several different conversations. Each new topic is introduced with a basic presentation, followed by discussions among all participants. We also invite guest speakers and take “virtual fieldtrips” together. In addition, participants have a chance to practice community development techniques and engage in collaborative problem solving. The workshop takes place entirely at a distance. Our primary medium is asynchronous web conferencing, supplemented with other media such as chats, e-mail, and teleconference. All you need is e-mail access, an up-to-date Web browser and a phone.

The workshop is designed as a rich “on-line learning space” in which, for its duration, we act and interact as a “simulated” community. The experience of the learning space is itself part of the curriculum and reflects the content of the workshop. Asynchronous interactions are complemented by a schedule of synchronous events (new topics, online chats, guest speakers, phone conversations, etc.). This schedule is posted at the beginning of the workshop so that you are to able take advantage of the resources that are most relevant to your individual interests.

You will receive a copy of all discussions and readings on a CD-ROM after the end of the workshop for your reference.

Audience

There are no prerequisites for this course. It has been described by participants as a unique combination of “Communities of Practice 101 and advanced graduate work.” It is useful to a variety of people concerned with learning and knowledge in organizational, educational, and community settings. In the past this has included:

• Knowledge officers and knowledge managers
• Internal and external consultants implementing knowledge-management programs
• Community builders and community leaders concerned with learning capacity of their communities
• University faculty and graduate students
• Human resources, training and development professionals
• Change agents

What participants have said about this workshop …

Participants in earlier workshop have said:

• “It is a class on CoPs that compresses a simulation of a CoP into a very short time frame. The fit is imperfect but very worthwhile, practical, and educational. Be prepared to stay up late, work hard, have fun, and collaborate with interesting, talented people from around the world. The experience could be profound in terms of advancing your understanding of CoPs, how a crowd becomes a community, and how CoPs are driven and sustained by the passions of the participants.” — Doris Reeves-Lipscomb
• “I liked the models for understanding communities of practice and the guest speakers – practical and applicable stuff.” — Tom Rieman, Patriot Computer Group
• “I liked the experimentation with an online CoP: interaction with the other participants, the field trips and guest speakers.” — Catherine Burnheim, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
• “The domain inquiry concept is powerful, and I can see that my understanding of organizational learning has been influenced. I also got many ideas about online facilitation which I am already using.” — John Götze, Statskontoret, Stockholm, Sweden.
• “The discussions with the real life practitioners were rich and insightful. For my particular stage of CoP development – the typical work-plan was most helpful. I appreciated the ‘how to.’” — Elaine Lowe
• “I am more confident about what I know about CoPs, and I will act more directly on that knowledge as I work with clients. I will use the ‘CoPs as a KM Strategy’ materials to talk to senior management, and to guide my actions once I do get in the door.” Ross Colliver, Director, The Training and Development Group, Perth, Australia
• “I love the structure of the space [divided] into practice, inquiry, and community, which I take to embody the three dimensions of CoPs. It feels like a brave adventure to cast this open and hope people will learn from working within it. I have learnt from it.”
• “Etienne’s communities of practice class has been extremely important in my own work, and I cannot think of any substitution for actually being in the class — and reflecting upon that experience as a participant and practitioner at the same time.” –  Katrina Pugh, PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting