91 Introduction Educators have traditionally pursued professional development programmes that involve them collaborating within learning communities (Daniels & Cox, 2003).The emergence of online versions could be considered as a natural extension of this tradition within today’s technology-rich environment.The T4T4T pilot project explored the implementation of a web-supported professional development programme designed specifically for New Zealand tertiary education teachers.The aims for the pilot project were: a) to establish in the tertiary institutions a professional learning community of tertiary teachers with a common purpose of improving teaching and learning in tertiary contexts and b) to contribute to the knowledge of what makes for effective E-learning in tertiary education. The programme endeavoured to complement existing professional development programmes available within the four contributing institutions: the University of Canterbury, the Christchurch College of Education, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and Lincoln University. W hilst predominately web-based, the programme included face-to-face workshops and opportunities to meet and work with mentors situated within the four institutions. Participation with an online community of practice An online community will only be formed, and sustained, if the members of that community want it to exist. Brown (2002) suggests that community can be experienced at any of three different levels and that the level with which community is experienced is closely related to the level of the community members’ engagement in the dialogue and their overall participation. A community of practice has been described as a place where participants‘learn to be’ as opposed to ‘learn about’. Learning to be involves "enculturation within the rich context of social community life and practice" ; knowing‘how’ is developed through application and practice (Nichani & Hung, 2002, pp.50-51). Wenger (1998, pp.4-5) outlines a theoretical construct within which learning within a community of practice can be considered. His ‘social theory of learning’ has four central premises; • people are social beings and this is a central aspect of learning • knowledge is a matter of competence with respect to valued enterprise • knowing is a matter of participation and active engagement within the world and • our ability to experience the world and our engagement with it as meaningful is ultimately what learning is to produce. The primary focus of his theory is‘social participation’, participation that relates to being an active participant in the practices of social communities and constructing identities in relation to these communities. Communities of practice can fulfil a number of important functions within an organization. Wenger (1998) describes the following functions of a community of practice, in relation to the creation, accumulation and diffusion of knowledge: • they are nodes for the exchange and interpretation of information • they can ‘retain’ knowledge in ‘living’ ways, unlike a manual or database • they can keep organizations at the ‘cutting edge’ as members discuss novel ideas, work together on problems and keep up with new developments and • they provide stable space that encourages a sense of identity for participants as they are developed around the things that matter to the participants. The T4T4T Online Professional Development Pilot for Tertiary Teachers: factors influencing participation Nicki Dabner Christchurch College of Education NICKI DABNER