e-Learning Ecologies MOOC’s Updates

Introducing Communities of Practice as a Collaborative Intelligence Concept

One fascinating concept within collaborative intelligence is Communities of Practice (CoPs), first described by Lave & Wenger (1991). A CoP is a group of people who share a concern, passion, or interest in a topic and who deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting regularly. Unlike traditional classrooms, CoPs thrive on peer-to-peer collaboration, informal learning, and the sharing of both explicit knowledge (facts, resources) and tacit knowledge (experience, intuition).

Definition:
A community of practice is not just a group; it is characterized by three elements:

Domain – a shared area of interest.

Community – members engage in joint activities, discussions, and help each other.

Practice – members develop a shared repertoire of resources: stories, tools, and ways of addressing recurring problems (Wenger, 1998).

Example in Practice:
A great example is the Stack Overflow community. Programmers from around the world collaborate by asking and answering technical questions. This creates a continuously evolving knowledge base where the collective intelligence of the group helps solve problems faster than any individual could. Similarly, in educational settings, students participating in online study groups form small CoPs where they co-construct understanding, share resources, and build long-term learning habits.

For a short introduction, there’s Wenger’s own explanation: Etienne Wenger on Communities of Practice (YouTube).