Experiences of practice-based learning by designers working cooperatively in a community of practice

What is it about?

The focus of the study is on how designers working collaboratively in international teams experience practice-based learning and how such occasions contribute to professional development. Cooperative practice-based learning is understood as social practice in a community of practice, and as continuous changes of the learning object due to that new aspects are discerned by the learners. The paper introduces the Cooperation Project between TTC-Furntech and its workshop context organized as practice-based learning. Participants’ learning context consisted of a mixture of professional practices allowing different logics and different cultures make up an innovative working site. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interview data suggest that three phenomenographic hierarchical categories constitute the learning process; (a) getting a recognised professional identity; (b) perceiving new elements and expanding knowledge; (c) seeing new aspects of design work and new steps of development in profession. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interview data suggest that three phenomenographic hierarchical categories constitute the learning process; (a) getting a recognised professional identity; (b) perceiving new elements and expanding knowledge; (c) seeing new aspects of design work and new steps of development in profession. The study calls for more investigations of practice-based learning environments in work places in order to help societies and companies to advance integrative efforts of new employees and new immigrants into an increasingly diverse globalized labour market. Keywords: community of practice, practice-based learning, translation, phenomenography, qualitative categories, meaning making, work-place learning, team learning;

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Why is it important?

The study shows even if it calls for more investigations of practice-based learning environments in work places in order to help societies and companies to advance integrative efforts of new employees and new immigrants into an increasingly diverse globalized labour market.

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