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Knowledge Transfer of Evidence-Based Instructional Practices in Faculty Communities of Practice

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Conference

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Seattle, Washington

Publication Date

June 14, 2015

Start Date

June 14, 2015

End Date

June 17, 2015

ISBN

978-0-692-50180-1

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Diffusion and Adoption of Teaching Practices

Tagged Division

Educational Research and Methods

Page Count

17

Page Numbers

26.1051.1 - 26.1051.17

DOI

10.18260/p.24388

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/24388

Download Count

605

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Paper Authors

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Kari L. Jordan Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-8406-628X

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James J. Pembridge Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach

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Sarah Anne Blackowski

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Heidi M Steinhauer Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach

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Timothy A Wilson Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach

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Douglas Holton Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ., Daytona Beach Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-2558-8886

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Abstract

Knowledge Transfer of Evidence-Based Instructional Practices in Faculty Communities of PracticeCommunities of practice have evolved from interactions between novices and experts to beingapplied as managerial tools for improving an organization’s outcomes. Cultural differences,assumptions, and preferences affect the way members of that community access and shareknowledge within communities of practice. Communities of practice take several forms includinginformal groups, which aim to provide a forum for discussion among practitioners; supportedgroups sponsored by management aiming to build knowledge and skills for a given competencyarea; and structured groups developed and managed by an organization aiming to advance theorganizations business strategy.With an increased focus on diffusion of evidence-based instructional practices in STEM education,the implications of knowledge transfer in communities of practices can increase the understandingof how to facilitate the spread and adoption of these instructional techniques. This paper utilizesthe communities of practice framework defined by Lave and Wenger that communities of practiceare “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to doit better as they interact regularly.” Within post-secondary STEM education, this paper recognizescommunities of practice as the formal construct of individual departments related to a specificcontent area and micro-communities of practice that reflect the collaboration of smaller cohorts ofSTEM faculty.This study seeks to address the following research questions: 1) How do faculty interact in acommunity of practice? and 2) How does knowledge transfer of evidence-based instructionalpractices occur in faculty communities of practice?This work, conducted within a large research project aimed to explore stages of pedagogicalchange, utilizes a qualitative methodology, where 40 faculty in three departments (Mathematics,Engineering, and Physical Sciences) participated in one-hour long semi-structured interviews toexplore their use of evidence-based instructional practices and collaboration. Interviews wereanalyzed using thematic coding to explore the formation, interaction, and process of knowledgetransfer in these communities.Findings and subsequent discussion will provide insight into facilitating the knowledge transfer ofevidence-based instructional practices across STEM contexts.

Jordan, K. L., & Pembridge, J. J., & Blackowski, S. A., & Steinhauer, H. M., & Wilson, T. A., & Holton, D. (2015, June), Knowledge Transfer of Evidence-Based Instructional Practices in Faculty Communities of Practice Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24388

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