Daisies in the university meadow: Communities of practice and action research

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Research and Development in Higher Education Vol. 28: Higher education in a changing world

July, 2005, 639 pages
Published by
Angela Brew and Christine Asmar
ISBN
0 908557 62 0
Abstract 

This paper explores the processes and success of an ongoing Communities of Practice involving colleagues in action research at Anglia Polytechnic University(APU) in Cambridge and Essex, UK. In so doing, it builds loosely on Mary Melrose’s (2000) daisy model of action research and action learning, set in a complex organisation.

Many colleagues are interested in research evidence-based enhancement of the learning of their students, relationships between learning and their own teaching, curriculum, the learning environment and change. This frequently involves a continuing cycle of introducing innovation, solving problems in practice and managing the developmental aspect of curriculum or other changes so students gain an improved learning experience. Much of this work is a mixture of the intuitive, based on experience, and some is more rigorous, involving action research strategies in a genuinely collaborative action research cycle.

This paper explores support for colleagues in ongoing Communities of Practice through action research based learning facilitated from the University Centre for Learning and Teaching. The example explored is research into postgraduates’ learning and supervisory practice.

Keywords: action research, postgraduates, supervisors, communities of practice.