An Overview of Virtual Communities of Faculty Practice

Virtual communities of faculty practice (CoP) provide support for and supplement the demanding doctoral curriculum with the purpose of assisting doctoral students through a holistic support system. This virtual community provides a positive private environment where faculty engage, share, and discuss current research questions or issues to encourage scholarship and collegiality. This scholarly essay presents an overview of faculty virtual CoPs in the context of mentoring online doctoral students. Attention is given to the definition of communities of practice, Wenger's communities of practice model, producing and sustaining communities of practice, and incorporation of virtual CoPs at the doctoral level.