Embracing liminality: academic development for early career academics within a community of practice

Abstract

Academic development is a mammoth undertaking that requires collective effort from all stakeholders, extending beyond academic developers alone. As early career academics, we explore our experiences of academic development within our community of practice. Through a collaborative self-study, we reveal how our community of practice has bolstered our academic progress. Utilizing a metaphoric drawing, we visually represent the rigorous and fulfilling practices within our community of practice. Our illustration underscores the advantages of establishing communities of practice in liminality. Moreover, we advocate for liminal spaces as potent hubs for collaborative initiatives to expedite the academic growth of early career academics.