Legitimate participation? Instructional designer-subject matter expert interactions in communities of practice

This paper addresses the question of how instructional designers work with subject matter experts (SMEs) in unfamiliar content areas. It is suggested that working as an instructional designer in an unfamiliar content area is similar to an anthropologist working in a foreign culture. Instructional designers enter communities of practice and attempt to understand the context as well as complete learning designs for specific audiences. It is suggested that unlike new professionals who work toward full participation and full acceptance in the community of practice, the instructional designer aims for legitimate participation within the sub-culture. To successfully achieve legitimate participation the instructional designer will need to utilise a number of communication strategies to optimise the interaction with the SME. Copyright © 2004 The Association for Advancement of Computing in Education.