Silver-lining of COVID-19: A Virtual Community of Practice for Faculty Development

Abstract

Communities of practice are becoming more common within higher education, yet little research has explored how these social learning networks, especially the virtual ones, can enhance faculty development. This paper describes the experience of a virtual community of practice (VCoP) initiative at a research-intensive Irish university, during the COVID-19 pandemic to share ideas and good practice as well as foster learning in a safe, supportive, encouraging and inclusive virtual environment. Though this initiative is still in its early days, we consider VCoPs to be an innovative method for faculty development through collaborative learning and enhancement of a sense of community for all.