The challenge of building communities about PBL supervision: From networks of practice to communities of practice

Problem-based learning (PBL) is central to the degree programmes at Aalborg University (AAU), but if one is a member of the teaching faculty with a degree from another institution, it is unlikely that one is familiar with PBL. In this chapter, the authors describe the development of an ongoing experiences with PBL Exchange, a web-based platform whose goal is to facilitate the transfer and development of knowledge and skills within PBL project supervision by means of a web-based crowdsourcing approach that makes it easy to exchange and discuss one's specific problems and experience with project supervision. The goal was to build a new community of practice from a network of practice, but this has turned out to be difficult. The authors discuss and analyze their experiences and suggest technical and social developments that may be able to facilitate the creation of community of practice.