Abstract:
The Engineering Education Research Network in Africa (EERN-Africa) was created to enable connections
between practitioners and researchers with a shared interest in African engineering education
contexts. Recognising the importance of developing an African voice in the engineering education
research space, the EERN-Africa community has interacted in a dynamic and dialogic way with our
own teaching and research practices across diverse African contexts, with an ethical commitment to
democratic and inclusive community-building. The objective of this paper is to reflect on the current
status of the Community of Practice (CoP), and the challenges and opportunities in sustaining and
growing the CoP. A collaborative analysis of perspectives on this emerging identity is presented,
using an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology and drawing on collective written reflections and
discussions. Six broad themes on the value that the CoP has for both individuals and the group were
identified: networking, capacity development, emotional support, impact on professional identity,
social and environmental impact, and breaking borders. This paper contributes an approach for
collaborative capacity-building in EER through a virtual CoP, underpinned by the spirit of ubuntu.
