The online communities of practices and faculty members’ professional development: A critical literature review

Abstract

   Following the success of online communities of practices (Online CoPs) in the business sector for the professional development of employees, the idea of fostering the online cultivation of CoPs in educational institutions for the professional development of faculty members has been researched and practiced. Although this topic has not achieved maturity in the literature, this study is based on contingency theory/perspective views that the fundamentals of educational institutions are different from the fundamentals of business organisations. This means the research and implementation of Online CoPs with regard to educational institutions are unique and thus different from those of business organisations. Consequently, this study aimed to highlight the research gaps regarding the methodological approaches, the limited scope and conceptualisation of online CoPs, the limitations of theoretical foundations underlying CoPs, and the benefits and barriers of online CoPs in educational institutions. A critical semi-structured review methodology was employed. The findings expose the critical theoretical limitations and highlight the distinctive barriers and benefits of using online CoPs. Four promising research avenues are successively elaborated for the contingency-based theory development of online CoPs and provide grounds for their implementation in educational institutions.