The Iowa Communities of Practice and Innovation Pilot: Teachers’ Perceptions of an Initiative to Support Blended Learning and the Integration of Technology in the Classroom

The purpose of this research was to examine the value created through the IOWA Pilot Communities of Practice and Innovation and teachers’ experiences of participating in this professional development program, in particular if they believed their practices were affected (or not) by their participation in the community of practice (CoP). An intrinsic qualitative case study involved collecting data in two phases; once during the two-year pilot (60 participants) and once three years later (17/60 participants). Wenger and colleagues (2011), Value Creation Framework (VCF) paper guided the data collection, with participants completing the personal narrative templates included in the VCF (phase 1).  These templates have participants assessing the value created from their engagement in the CoP. Phase 2 involved an online interview. A deductive thematic analysis was used (Braun, Clarke, & Weate, 2006). The findings were strongly affirmative, and included the participants’ aspirations for the project, many examples of potential value, and participants’ discussing their increased ability to influence others within their context. Although the educators did encounter challenges, the overall effects this CoP had on the educators’ confidence and understanding of blended learning curricula demonstrates the potential influence of an innovative professional development program designed to provide ongoing support for changing practice.