Westminster Learning Communities
What are Westminster Learning Communities?
Westminster Learning Communities (WLCs) were established by CETI in 2017 as a dynamic means of fostering innovation in learning and teaching in order to enhance the student experience. Although they are aligned with the University’s strategic priorities, it is recognised that other innovations and issues will emerge and therefore reflect CETI’s commitment to acting as an incubator of innovative ideas and practices, using a bottom-up, collaborative approach. WLCs achieve this by providing opportunities for colleagues to enhance and share practice, to exchange resources, expertise and experience, and to develop and promote new ideas and innovation. In this way, they enable colleagues not only to have their own practices recognised but to provide inspiration to colleagues in other disciplines to find new, effective approaches and to address challenges.
WLCs are largely self-managed by a community facilitator(s) or lead(s) together with a core membership of active, interested and enthusiastic participants, but are overseen by CETI, which ensures that communities are supported and promoted, and that there is effective communication both within and between communities, and to the wider university community and the outside world. From time to time, CETI also commissions new communities to explore areas that have been identified as a priority.
From time to time, the different WLCs have the opportunity to meet with each other, forming a collaborative forum of communities. Here they are able to explore commonalities and possibly develop collaborations, whilst also sharing strategies for growing their communities and supporting colleagues.
WLCs should be inclusive, with membership open to colleagues across the university and include academic and professional services colleagues as well as students and colleagues working in the Students’ Union. Where appropriate, communities are encouraged to include members external to the University to bring in different perspectives. These may be, for example, colleagues from other higher education institutions, representatives from relevant industries, or employers or teachers in schools. In line with the University’s commitment to student partnership, each community will also be expected to incorporate input from students, either as members, or through consultation and collaboration.
Professor Terry Lamb, June 2025
Our Communities
The Multilingual University
This Community is designed to contribute to the University’s commitment to inclusion by exploring and promoting Westminster’s linguistic diversity. It aims to put the University’s multilingualism on the agenda and, in so doing, to contribute to its inclusivity, demonstrating that all languages are an asset.
For further information about this Community, please contact Terry Lamb at T.Lamb@westminster.ac.uk.
Steering Group
- Julio Gimenez
- Saskia Huc-Hepher
- Terry Lamb
- Lucia Llano Puertas
- Katherine Mansfield
- Olga Núñez Piñeiro
- Martin Percy
- Alexandra Rappoport
- Margherita Sprio
Westminster's Coaching Community of Practice
The Coaching Community of Practice is a new community for colleagues across the University who have a shared interest and passion for coaching. This might include qualified and practising coaches as well as colleagues who are using coaching skills in their teaching practice or in supporting teaching and learning activities.
The community welcomes all colleagues who already have a positive experience of coaching and wish to develop their coaching skills or find out more about coaching practice, share resources and get involved in coaching activities.
For 2025/26 the community intends to offer various events and activities across the University, which will be promoted via CETI communications such as targeted staff emails, the CETI Newsletter and in Westminster Weekly. Details will also be listed on this page, together with booking links.
If you would like to join the community or be informed of its activities, then please add your name and email address to this form.
The Coaching Community Lead is Saire Jones, for further information about this community please contact her at s.jones1@westminster.ac.uk.
What are communities of practice?
They are defined as “groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner, 2015).
There are three features which distinguish communities of practice from other communities or groups (Smith, 2009):
- There is a shared domain of interest and a commitment to that domain on the part of the members. It is not just a network or a group of friends.
- There is a genuine community in which members help each other, engage in joint discussions and build relationships.
- Members of the community cultivate a shared practice, through which they share resources, experiences, tools and ways of solving problems.
References
- Smith, M. (2009) Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger and communities of practice; [Online]
(Accessed 8 October 2021)
- Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2015) Introduction to Communities of Practice [Online]
(Accessed 8 October 2021)