Emerging from the third space chrysalis: Experiences in a non-hierarchical, collaborative research community of practice

This paper provides an ethnographically rich and highly relatable account of the ‘third space’ as it is inhabited and navigated by a group of geographically and institutionally dispersed learning developers, working together to develop and reflect on their identities as scholar-practitioners. In the process, readers are introduced to the virtual Community of Practice (vCoP) as a powerful means of nurturing and sustaining scholarly activity and identity formation – especially for those who, like Learning Developers, often work in contexts which militate against this. The paper also provides a fascinating, and practically useful, insight into collaborative autoethnography (CAE) as a vehicle for collaborative reflection.