In what ways did the study group function as a community of practice rather than simply a study aid?
So just to double check I looked up the definition of Community of Practice, and what I found was that a "Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a passion or concern for something they do, interacting regularly to learn and improve their skills, share best practices, and build a collective repertoire of experiences, tools, and solutions to become better practitioners in that domain (Communities of Practice, 2020)" . . . and. . . . "Communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor: a tribe learning to survive, a band of artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar problems, a clique of pupils defining their identity in the school, a network of surgeons exploring novel techniques, a gathering of first-time managers helping each other cope" (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner; 2015).
In almost every way, our study group functioned as a community of practice. When I think of our group meetings, I recall that a significant aspect was venting and support from the other members. However, a large part of the first few years' meetings was spent by me getting up to speed on many aspects of the program. It was great to have Andrew and Will in the group because they seemed to have such a strong handle on academic red tape and processes. Usually, they could help me navigate the processes within Canvas and our overall program progress. Additionally, I think they were able to help me with the challenges that came with understanding and making the content we covered more accessible.
In many ways, that dynamic was similar to Ranger School. In Ranger School, there was a deliberate mix of officers who came straight from West Point or other schools, whose only formal Army experience was the Officer Basic Course and Airborne School. Ranger School might have been for some their first real introduction to work and life in the infantry. However, the non-commissioned officers (NCO's) and enlisted men who were in Ranger School usually had tons of experience in the field, but less schooling and formal education. In this sense, Anne and I, who both worked in training within our organizations, were the NCOs and enlisted personnel of the program, while Will and Andrew were the officers. Anne and I could discuss the real-world experiences of training and development. Will and Andrew were stronger in the academic world. Although, to be fair, Will had a bit of both, as he was tangentially involved in academics, but he certainly comes across as more academically minded.
One time I think this came into play was in our Statistical Methods class. We were all not only scared of that class, but needed one another's help both in terms of support and in terms of knowledge and understanding. All of a sudden, Will became VERY motivated to learn and achieve (or just finish the class), and there was a definite push for our group to be a dedicated and motivated community of practice.
Regardless, I think our group functioned equally as a "support group" as it did as a "community of practice." At different times, it provided support in both areas. During coursework, I think it was much more of a community of practice, where we could compare our work, discuss why we did certain things, and exchange ideas. Then there were times when it was much more a support group, where our focus was on the psychological needs of the group.
References
Communities of Practice. (2020, April 23). Carleton.Ca. https://carleton.ca/tls/events-and-programs/programs/communities-of-practice/
Wenger-Trayner, E. & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2015). Introduction to communities of practice – Wenger-trayner.com. Retrieved December 23, 2025, from https://www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
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