Community of Practice

Virginia Tech has more than 45 peer education programs serving tens of thousands of students. We welcome campus partners who coordinate peer education programs or have an interest in peer education best practices to join our Community of Practice (CoP).

What is a community of practice? 

A community of practice (CoP) is comprised of professionals interested in a common topic who come together to share their experiences and best practices, form connections, ask and answer questions, and create new knowledge to advance their topic of interest. 

Why join us?

We seek to create a space at Virginia Tech where everyone learns together, raising our community’s collective wisdom and skill level around best practices in peer education.

As a CoP participant, you will:

• Connect with and learn from Virginia Tech colleagues doing similar work 
• Share support and ideas within a community of peer education practitioners
• Refine or grow your peer education program through discussion of strategies and best practices

What we plan to discuss

• Administrative Best Practices (hiring, scheduling, marketing, etc.) 
• Creating Faculty/Academic Partnerships 
• Data and Assessment/Evaluation 
• Developing a Strong Culture with your Peer Educators 
• Learning about Peer Education Subtypes, such as: Tutor, Mentor, Advisor, Ambassador, Coach 
• Learning Theories (student development, mindset, metacognition, etc.) 
• Leveraging Institutional Resources and Partnerships 
• Peer Education Certifications 
• Peer Educator Compensation 
• Providing Services in a Virtual or Hybrid Environment 
• Serving Specific Student Populations 
• Training Models/Content 
• Using Technology and Tools to Enhance Offerings

How to join

All participants will complete a registration survey to receive access to the Zoom login credentials. Please note that the CoP is currently restricted to Virginia Tech (colleagues at other institutions cannot join at this time).

The CoP meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 11:00-12:00 p.m. The CoP has access to a community Canvas course where updates and additional resources are posted.

Upcoming Events

• September 10: Onboarding and training 
  Location: Zoom link in Canvas
• October 8: Communication materials and methods 
  Location: Gilbert Place 2124 and Zoom link in Canvas
• November 12: Recruitment and hiring  
  Location: Gilbert Place 2124 and Zoom link in Canvas
• December 10: Student retention and leadership
  Location: Gilbert Place 2124 and Zoom link in Canvas
• January 14: Supervision and managing student performance
  Location: Gilbert Place 2101 and Zoom link in Canvas
• February 11: Program presentations
  Location: Gilbert Place 2124 and Zoom link in Canvas
• March 11: Spring break, no meeting
• April 8: Assessment 
  Location: Gilbert Place 2304 and Zoom link in Canvas
• May 13: IT tools and project management 
  Location: Gilbert Place 2124 and Zoom link in Canvas