Academic development through course enhancements – becoming reflective practitioners

Abstract

Working in Communities of Practice (CoP) when developing student support in courses, may also have an impact on the academic learning. In CoP’s scholars can meet up to discuss, solve issues and develop new solutions. It is an arena for reflection on action, retrospective reflection and for meta-learning. In this paper we will present how two lecturers have co-developed knowledge through knowledge sharing, discussions and projects with students. The two lecturers have different background regarding education teaches within the same main area; organizational theory and development, and Knowledge Management. By sharing tacit and explicit knowledge when co-developing support for students learning, their own reflections support our learning process. Through reflection before action when developing the initiatives that we want to test out on students, reflecting in action when we deploy the initiatives, reflect on action when we evaluate the initiatives and reflect retrospectively together longer after deploying the initiative, we learn and develop not only as academics but also as reflective practitioners. This is also what we want for our students. Through several years we have developed the courses in the study programme of Knowledge Management at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway. The development has exclusively been to support students learning outcome and work relevance of the different courses. The latest initiative is about video-feedback and how this can support the students enhanced learning outcome. We are investigating what the students claim will provide them with yet another tool for learning and that will improve their academic skills. Through the process of working with this project and utilizing our knowledge of the different ways of reflection, knowledge sharing, cooperation and collaboration, we have learned from the project and our process. Hence, our meta-learning may also benefit our students as we as reflective practitioners can help our students become reflective practitioners, too.