https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315320964314 Journal of Studies in International Education 1–19 © 2020 European Association for International Education Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/1028315320964314 journals.sagepub.com/home/jsi Article Transnational Communities of Practice: Their Development, Operation, and Contribution Meredith Tharapos 1 and Brendan T. O’Connell 1 Abstract Critical to the successful maintenance and survival of a transnational education partnership is the role of faculty. Our study documents the operational and social relationships between faculty teaching transnationally. Through interviews and observation, we find that informal communities of practice (CoP) spontaneously evolve, serving to improve faculty’s teaching and learning practice while in situ. The key to CoP effectiveness is members’ cultural intelligence and adoption of a reflective practice. These findings have significant implications for university internationalization practices. CoP should be nurtured and encouraged to develop organically in a transnational environment, and formally supported by university systems and processes. Furthermore, we recommend universities facilitate development of faculty cross-cultural capabilities. Our study contributes to international education and CoP literature through its rich and detailed portrayal of the development and operation of CoP, and mapped member participation, in a culturally distant situated learning environment. Keywords transnational education, communities of practice, cultural intelligence, reflection, teaching and learning practice, accounting education Introduction The complex global environment in which higher education is embedded (Naidoo, 2009) demands meticulously designed university internationalization policies and 1 RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Corresponding Author: Meredith Tharapos, School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, RMIT University, 445 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia. Email: meredith.tharapos@rmit.edu.au 964314JSI XX X 10.1177/1028315320964314Journal of Studies in International EducationTharapos and O’Connell research-article 2020