Study On Cultivating Strategies About Online Communities Of Practice

The speed development of science, information technology, and economic globalization have brought about profound changes of social life in all areas. Once higher education has never been benefit for who one's life. Participating in online communities of practice (OCoP) has become a new learning method for adults. It can promote adult's professional development and encourage collective wisdom. How to realize the functions of OCoP and how to cultivate OCoP have become an important issue to researchers in the field of education.This dissertation focuses on exploring how to design and build effective cultivating strategies for online communities of practice, in terms of the routine of "theory model design-technology-practice-summing up". The dissertation includes four major works as following:1. Some researches about OCoP are reviewed. The concepts in the practice field, communities of practice and online communities of practice are introduced from different perspectives. The applicational practice of OCoP, such as adult learning, career development and technology support, and the cultivating researches are reviewed and analysed in the contemporary context.2. The theoretical bases for cultivating OCoP are discussed. First, it sorts out the relevant theories of OCoP. Second, it analyses the learning features about OCoP. Third, it explains the life cycle of OCoP. At last, it discuses the relationships with respect to the OCoP cultivating and the learning environment.3. A new model of cultivating strategy for OCoP is proposed. Based on the model design, the dissertation puts forward seven principles for OCoP cultivating. Under the guidance of these principles, the dissertation proposes the cultivating strategy model: 4WHV, in accordance with the life cycle of OCoP. The modal consists of four different strategies, such as planning strategy, design strategy, maintenance strategy and adjust strategy. Each strategy is built around the same six issues, that are when, who, what, (by) which, how and value (called 4WHV).4. The cultivating strategy model is applied in case called "Sybase Community". To verify the practical functions of cultivating strategy model, the dissertation applies the planning strategy and design strategy to this case. The findings are presented.The study has shown that the 4WHV cultivating strategy model for OCoP proposed in the dissertation can support different cultivating strategy guidance for different OCoP. It can promote more effective forming and developing for OCoP.