Abstract

The ALDinHE Research Community of Practice was founded in April 2020 and became a virtual community (vCoP) because of the pandemic times. We are a small group of UK-based Learning Developers who are research-active to various (contractual and non-contractual) extents. We meet monthly as a supportive space in which to discuss and develop our research ideas with like-minded others, and have thrived and grown as a group using this format. The vCoP has also led to collaborative research between its members, such as the paper from which this contribution is born: at a very reflective and meta-level, we examined and wrote collaboratively about how we had come together across institutional and geographical boundaries. In doing so, we suggested ways in which both the wider learning development community, and individuals and groups within it, can bolster the research component of their professional identities The formation of the vCoP, as described in the JUTLP paper, could also serve as an example to others who would like practical suggestions about how to foster a common interest.