Virtual community of practice

An online community of practice (OCoP), also known as a virtual community of practice (VCoP), is a <a href="/facts/Community_of_practice/gMgDQYX6">community of practice</a> (CoP) that is developed and maintained on the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>. OCoPs include active members who are practitioners, or "experts," in the specific domain of interest. Members participate in a process of collective learning within their domain. Community social structures are created to assist in knowledge creation and sharing, which is negotiated within an appropriate context. Community members learn through both instruction-based learning and group discourse. Finally, multiple dimensions facilitate the long-term management of support and the ability for synchronous interactions.
To some, a VCoP is a misnomer because the original concept of a CoP was based around <a href="/facts/Situated_learning/JnljWPKd">situated learning</a> in a co-located setting. With increasing <a href="/facts/Globalization/0locjSHH">globalization</a> and the growth of the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>, many now claim that virtual CoPs exist. For example, some claim that a wiki (such as <a href="/facts/Wikipedia/KDRNKWnc">Wikipedia</a>) is a virtual CoP, whereas others argue that the essence of a community is place-based – a <a href="/facts/Community_of_place/UKaGDnyI">community of place</a>.
There is also debate on the term VCoP because the form of communication is largely <a href="/facts/Computer-mediated_communication/Iw7UbAuQ">computer-mediated</a>. Few believe that a community of practice may be formed without face-to-face meetings, with many leading CoP researchers stressing the importance of in-person meetings. However, some researchers argue that a VCoP's high use of community technology changes some of its characteristics and introduces new complexities and ambiguities, thus justifying the term VCoP and its area of study.
Other similar terms include: online, computer-mediated, electronic and distributed. As the mode of communication can involve face-to-face, telephone and letter, and the defining feature is its distributed nature. Virtual Learning Communities (VLCs) are distinct from Distributed Communities of Practice (DCoP).
Similar to a VCoP, a "mobile community of practice" (MCoP) forms when members primarily engage in a community of practice using mobile phones.
Research suggests that increases in the sharing of <a href="/facts/Tacit_knowledge/20CNaqW5">tacit knowledge</a>, which occurs within communities of practice, may take place in VCoPs, albeit to a lesser degree.

Virtual community of practice open-in-new

Virtual community of practice