SCoPE Online Community to Support Individuals Interested in Educational Research and Practice: A Snapshot of Evolution
Sylvia Currie
BCcampus, Canada
SCoPE (http://scope.bccampus.ca) is an international online community launched in fall, 2005 to bring together individuals who share an interest in educational research and practice and to offer opportunities for dialogue across disciplines, geographical borders, professions, levels of expertise, and educational sectors. With this very broad mandate, flexible tools, and an open mind about how to proceed, the members have shaped this online community into a vibrant meeting place for dialogue, collaboration, and sharing. Using Moodle as the core platform we host special interest groups, a monthly seminar series, and online conferences. All community discussions are facilitated by volunteers and community events are free and open to the public.This short paper explores the evolution of online communities by reviewing SCoPE using the seven principles for cultivating communities of practice as a framework (Wenger et al., 2002): 1) Design for evolution, 2) Open a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives, 3) Inviting different levels of participation, 4) Developing both public and private spaces, 5) Focusing on value, 6) Combining familiarity with excitement, and 7) Creating a rhythm. This snapshot of evolution captures progress in attracting members to SCoPE and in shaping the community to suit their needs. It also highlights how design decisions and selection of technologies are based on user feedback and ongoing observations through community participation. Selected examples illustrate how members contribute to planning for future activities, and to refining or reinforcing design decisions.Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W.M. 2002. Cultivating Communities of Practice. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.