A benchmarking study on existing communities of practice in higher education institutions: A comparison between Europe and US

This study explores the establishment of communities of practice within teaching and learning centres (TLC) as strategies for advancing faculty development in higher education, examining their implementation in the US and Europe, with a specific focus on Italy. Utilising organisational benchmarking, we employed an explanatory, comparative, and best practice approach to map existing communities of practice within TLCs. Our sample included 334 centres in the US, 37 in Europe, and 13 in Italy. Findings reveal active communities, particularly in the US, attributed to a longer history of faculty development research within TLC initiatives. The prevalence of individual and formal training approaches highlights a need for increased cooperation strategies to build more cohesive communities of practice. These results align with past studies demonstrating the effectiveness of such communities, suggesting the potential for broader global networks.