Community of Practice

The Community of Practice (CoP), which is led by the DH Academic Champion, promotes awareness of, and engagement with, DH among academics.

The Hub, which is co-ordinated by the DH Officer, provides practical support for DH research.

The Hub and the CoP work closely together, and their activities often overlap. Both Hub and CoP:

  • Help researchers to develop and share knowledge and skills in DH through a programme of events, an MS Teams Community (CoP), and an online portal (Hub)
  • Help researchers to think through the digital elements of projects, from the development of ideas to the preservation of outcomes
  • Provide ongoing mentoring and support

About the Community of Practice

The DH CoP fosters an environment of innovation, knowledge-sharing and interdisciplinary collaboration among colleagues. It is open to researchers, professional staff, and PGRs from all research themes within the University of Reading.

The CoP serves as a platform for open dialogue on DH issues, facilitates the exchange of expertise, and provides essential support for both ongoing and prospective projects. It is a space for colleagues with an interest in Digital Humanities to collaborate, share ideas and expertise, and discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by digital research.

Through networking events, methodological workshops, grant development support, and training sessions (in collaboration with the DH Hub), as well as fostering internal research synergies and cultivating external partnerships, the DH CoP serves as a cornerstone for the advancement of digital scholarship and collaborative research at Reading.

The CoP aims to increase awareness and understanding of DH within the University, while also enhancing its national and international profile in the field.

CoP Teams Channel

The CoP activities are organised through a dedicated MS Teams channel. Click the blue button below to open this channel. This will work for internal users only (i.e. members of UoR only). After pressing the ‘Join’ button in the MS Teams dialogue box, you will shortly be added to the Team.

Within the CoP Teams channel you can introduce yourself and meet colleagues with mutual interests, and access and share information about funding support, and events. Links to join the CoP meetings (which will be held online or streamed) will also be posted in the Teams channel.

Join the Community of Practice (MS Teams)

Academic Champion

The CoP is led by the DH Academic Champion, Dr Mara Oliva.

The Academic Champion’s role is to represent researchers on the cross-service Hub team, to foster engagement with the discipline of Digital Humanities across the University’s research themes, and to shape the provision of DH support to enable researchers to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to embark upon digital research.

Mara contributes expertise in Digital Humanities to the Hub’s support for grant applications. She can also provide more general and direct mentorship for researchers who are considering adopting digital methods or would like to know more about Digital Humanities as a discipline. If you would like to know more, do join the CoP and introduce yourself, or contact Mara.

Profile image of Mara Oliva
Mara Oliva

Exploring Digital Humanities: Meet Mara Oliva

CoP Meetings

The CoP holds two methodological workshops per semester. Each workshop features a presentation from a researcher (internal or external), followed by a panel discussion. The CoP also holds one networking event per year, in Semester 1.

Internal CoP presentations are open to UoR members only (researchers, staff, PGRs). If you have any questions please contact the Academic Champion.

Forthcoming CoP activities will be posted on the events calendar.

If you would like to attend the CoP meetings, please click here to join the Team.