The following are steps groups can use to form a Community of Practice and work towards completing the CoP application process.

Step 1. Identify potential individuals or existing groups who are interested in the subject area of the proposed community. It might be beneficial to organize a core group of your colleagues to discuss the idea of community and the proposed subject area.

Use professional societies or associations to invite individuals to an initial meeting or audio call.

Step 2. Set up a meeting to share ideas on forming a CoP. Select lead individuals to run the meeting.

Many CoPs are successfully formed by impromptu or organized meetings at professional meetings where like-minded individuals are already gathering.

Step 3. Review definition of a Community of Practice.

For eXtension, a Community of Practice (CoP) is defined as a virtual network of subject matter content providers consisting of faculty, professional and para-professional staff, county educators, industry experts, clientele and government agency representation who share knowledge or competence in a specific content area and are willing to work and learn together over a period of time to further develop and share that knowledge in forms of educational products and programs.

Specific functions of a CoP include:

• Helping meet the knowledge needs of their respective Communities of Interest (CoI) or clientele.
• Stewardship of the available knowledge for their specific content area, including revisions, updates and maintenance.
• Best practice development of educational products and programs.
• Innovation in content area knowledge and delivery.
• Ongoing engagement with their corresponding Community of Interest.

Step 4. Gather assessment data from individuals about the clientele interested in your subject area. Identify the Community of Interest you will serve.

Step 5. Identify what products you have readily available that can easily be diverted to meet the needs identified by your CoP. In essence, identify the existing low-hanging fruit where your CoP can have the most impact initially.

Step 6. Review benefits of becoming a CoP. The benefits of forming or becoming a Community of Practice are varied and far-reaching. Benefits include:

• National recognition and leadership for specific content areas
• Sustainability of educational products and programs produced
• Production of higher quality, interactive, online educational materials
• Increased reach and impact of products produced
• Recognition for all content providers that contribute
• More efficient use of resources and technology
• Less duplication of effort
• Enhanced access to national resources
• Increased skill sets for faculty and staff
• More efficient use of faculty and staff time
• Better customer services
• Reduction of redundant activity

Step 7. Review the Guiding Principles of Content.

1. Believe in “openly shared” educational product development.
2. Content authors will retain development recognition for promotion and tenure purposes.
3. Educational products developed will belong to the system (the CoP, eXtension and ultimately the cooperative extension system) and not any one institution or entity. Products are part of the CoP and will change over time as the needs of the CoI evolve and change as new information is developed.
4. Individual members who develop content as a CoP member must be willing to leave said content with the community if they are no longer part of the CoP. However, past and present members of the CoP can use products created by the CoP in their own home institution’s programming effort.
5. Believe others in your field with appropriate qualifications -- that is, training and experience -- can make contributions/decisions about content that are sound and for the greater good.
6. Believe in unselfish joint ownership and peer-reviewed development of content.
7. Believe change is continuous in most content areas.
8. Believe some content is unique to local, state or multi-state audiences while some may apply to a national audience.
9. Believe we can no longer afford duplication of effort in the system and we must prepare to engage users in new ways.

Step 8. Identify existing or potential new funding sources. The group or team may already have funding associated with their work.

Step 9. Process to become an eXtension CoP. There are two processes to become an eXtension CoP:

1. Needs-based calls will be coordinated through extension directors and administrators. A potential CoP from each extension region will be selected from this needs-based process. Startup funds are dependent by availability of funds.
2. CoPs formed through application may address any CoI that is consistent with the extension mission. For more information see CoP application to become an eXtension Community of Practice.

Step 10. Potential funding. Startup funds no longer exist or are very limited. However, once a CoP is approved they will work with the eXtension development leader to secure funds and work toward sustaining the CoP. The CoP is eligible for annual leadership funds once it becomes eXtension-certified.

Step 11. Decide the scope of your CoP.

1. CoPs can form just around Ask an Expert (AaE) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) as a single product to offer their community of interest. This will allow a CoP to start slowly and systematically add products to become a fully engaged CoP.
2. CoPs can form and offer the full package of eXtension products, being fully engaged and offering a full line of products to their Community of Interest.

Step 12. Identify individuals to explore and review the CoP application process.

Step 13. Identify the core leadership group of the proposed community that will be listed in the application.

Step 14. Assign sections of the application to individuals or groups of individuals to complete.

Step 15. Setup additional meetings as necessary to complete the CoP application process.

Step 16. Your group can use the Collaborate Wiki to develop their application. Collaborate Wiki is a collaborative work environment created for LGU personnel to use for building ideas and documents. Step 17. Complete the CoP application and submit to the Office of the Associate Director of Content. Address: 236 Scovell Hall, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40546. craig.wood@extension.org