A team of chemistry lecturers experienced together the ‘phenomenon’ of a ‘community of practice’ over some years. A natural part of their enthusiasm was their desire to replicate the process for others; they saw that the process had potential for the university generally. They were awarded a grant to look at their process and also to research the work experience of academics outside of the group in order to understand how the collegial process they had enjoyed might be fostered. Their approach with other academics was informed by ‘appreciative inquiry’. Investigating how a collegial process might be fostered in other schools put the researchers in the peculiar position where their project might be considered more that of organisational developers than science academics. This paper is the story of their excursion beyond their discipline and a discussion of the lessons learned about fostering informal and potentially rewarding processes that make up a community of practice. The paper suggests that: since the collegial environment is a leverage point for the learning experience of students, divisions responsible for teaching development could focus on this environment; and appreciative interviews could be used to catalyse positive change.

Keywords: communities of practice, appreciative inquiry, teaching development