A Community of Transformation

Communities of Transformation (CoT) are a variant of Communities of Practice that “[explore] philosophically, in deep and fundamental ways, how science is taught.”¹ They simultaneously address transformations involving individual faculty and the broader system.

All CoT’s follow similar trajectories as they evolve, suggesting that new CoT’s, like the (STEM)² Network, can follow similar steps in their creation and realization of their goals. The four phases are: showing potential, coalescing, maturing, and stewardship.

The Network, currently in the showing potential phase, is testing out initial ideas, obtaining initial grants, and coming together for discussion over several years. As the Network moves to the coalescing phase, participants are naming the problem and forming cultures.

Over the next several years, the Network will move to the maturing phase in which we build new communities, obtain new grants, and develop leadership. The CoT framework is ideal for our purposes given the accrual of benefits both to individual CoT members and their institutions.