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Institutionally implemented learning technologies are often not adopted or are underused by academic staff. We aimed to better understand this problem by drawing on the notion of professional identity to explore the challenges academic staff experienced when they were to adopt a replacement learning management system (LMS). We describe a single case study approach in which focus group discussions, workshop evaluation data and documents are analysed. We found that challenges academic staff faced lay in the technology being a threat to professional identity, in the sense-making process, and in the diverse and individually distinct nature of teachers' professional identities. Institutional support offered to facilitate staff adoption appeared not to fully address these challenges. The implications for academic development and technology implementation are explored.

Universities implement Learning Management Systems (LMSs) with the aspiration of improving educational practice. However, LMS adoption by academics within universities vary and frequently falls short of institutional aspirations. In this study, we propose an integrated and adopter--centred professional identity perspective of LMS adoption and empirically validate such a perspective at a New Zealand university where a LMS was implemented. We surveyed 204 academic staff and analysed questionnaire data using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that the adoption of the LMS was associated with professional identity. Variations in aspects of professional identity not only shaped the extent of LMS usage, but was also predictive of qualitatively different ways of using the LMS for teaching. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the research findings.

The Fourth Industrial Age (4IA) is likely to be accompanied simultaneously by an increase in technology-mediated learning and an urgent need for people to learn rapidly, effectively and collaboratively. This study investigates the potential of vicarious learning from videoed tutorials as a pedagogical tool suitable for the challenges of 4IA. Undergraduate Business students observed videos of student tutees responding to tutor prompts as they tackled open-ended and conceptually challenging problems. The results revealed that student observers self-reported: gains in their conceptual understanding from watching videoed tutorials; preferences for watching tutorial dialogues over alternative learning methods; and that watching videoed tutorials had positive impacts on their affect and access to additional learning-related information. The study concludes that vicarious learning from videoed tutorials is an accessible technology-mediated pedagogy that is achievable by mainstream educators and is effective in developing conceptual understanding, engaging students and providing access to additional learning-related information.

Proactivity is important to individual success, particularly where individuals face significant obstacles and where formal support may be lacking or difficult to access. The study tracks mature students over a one-semester university preparation course designed for returners to learning. Measures of proactivity included proactive personality, confidence to perform proactive learning behaviors and frequency of proactive behaviors. While measures of proactive personality remained relatively stable, we observed increases in both confidence to perform and the frequency of proactive behaviors over time. At the end of semester these three variables were predictive of a number of outcomes including self-assessed self-directed learning, the taking of a mastery approach to learning, and grades. We argue that issues of proactivity are under-researched in higher education. The implications for course structure and student support are discussed.

Few studies have assessed the particular relationships between students' emotional well-being, both positive and negative and their learning. This study followed a cohort of mature students through their first semester at university. Four dimensions of emotional well-being were captured (enthusiasm, contentment, anxiety and depression) at three points in time during the semester. In addition, at the end of the semester, assessments were made of learning behaviours, affect and academic achievement. Emotional well-being fluctuated during the semester and each of the four dimensions exhibited a unique and predictive pattern of relationships with the suite of outcome measures. The findings highlight the importance of emotional well-being in shaping active engagement in learning and in determining affective and academic outcomes. The results are interpreted and the implications for the design of learning environments and teaching practice are outlined.

Within New Zealand, Adult and Community Education providers are facing radical reductions in government support. Providers are reacting in different ways with many being forced to withdraw from offering non-credit education at affordable rates. This paper explores the likely consequences, in terms of changes in learner profile, of efforts to maintain the viability of programs through increased fees. The research explores strategies for maintaining student numbers and access despite substantial fee increases. The work is based on a survey of over 550 university community education learners and uses approaches derived from consumer decision-making research. The results suggest that fee increases will contribute to a shift towards community education being an activity limited to the better off but that measures are available that will go some way to safeguard learner numbers and access. (Contains 6 tables.)

In New Zealand there are four university-based centres for continuing education which provide non-credit short courses. This paper presents data from a survey which was conducted with the intention of building understanding of the cohort of learners who attend short non-credit courses, to better understand their views and values and to determine whether there was a readiness or need to follow the trends apparent in overseas departments of continuing education. Policy and funding structures in New Zealand have favoured traditional delivery methods and non-credit learning. The survey of learners indicated a readiness for technology-enabled learning and interest in attaining recognition for learning. The study provides a valuable insight into an often invisible cohort of university learners and exposes important contrasts between common perceptions of adult "leisure" learners and our survey results. (Contains 3 tables and 6 figures.)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore approaches to learning in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: Computer based questionnaires are used with a sample of over 300 employees. Findings: Using a version of the Revised Approaches to Study Inventory (RASI) adapted to workforce development, the factor structure of deep, surface and strategic approaches was obtained. Differences in approaches to learning as measured by the RASI were associated with training and learning histories, reasons for engaging in training, perceptions of current skill level and self reported development needs. Practical implications: It is argued that the notion that approaches to learning impact on success in a given degree course and/or are context/teaching style dependent under represents the impact that approaches to learning may have on workplace learning. Originality/value: The study demonstrates that the adapted RASI can be used with employees and that its principal psychometric properties reflect those reported for student samples. (Contains 7 tables.)

Educators are responsible for developing generic graduate capabilities, but the theoretical justification for teaching techniques is infrequently articulated. This conceptual paper aims to provide theory-informed principles to guide teaching practice in developing future-focused generic capabilities. The paper describes future-focused generic capabilities and then considers how cognitive constructivist, transformational and social learning theories inform the development of these capabilities. From these theories, four principles (4Es) for teaching generic capabilities are identified: students need to 1) be Enthused to develop personally relevant generic capabilities, 2) have opportunities to Explore by intellectually and emotionally connecting learning to processes, topics and situations, 3) develop by purposefully Extending their capabilities within varied and progressively more complex contexts, and 4) be given opportunities to Exhibit their capabilities. We contend that the development of generic capabilities can be informed by this set of principles. By unearthing and researching them, educators can become more versatile, informed, and impactful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutionally implemented learning technologies are often not adopted or are underused by academic staff. We aimed to better understand this problem by drawing on the notion of professional identity to explore the challenges academic staff experienced when they were to adopt a replacement learning management system (LMS). We describe a single case study approach in which focus group discussions, workshop evaluation data and documents are analysed. We found that challenges academic staff faced lay in the technology being a threat to professional identity, in the sense-making process, and in the diverse and individually distinct nature of teachers' professional identities. Institutional support offered to facilitate staff adoption appeared not to fully address these challenges. The implications for academic development and technology implementation are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities implement Learning Management Systems (LMSs) with the aspiration of improving educational practice. However, LMS adoption by academics within universities vary and frequently falls short of institutional aspirations. In this study, we propose an integrated and adopter–centred professional identity perspective of LMS adoption and empirically validate such a perspective at a New Zealand university where a LMS was implemented. We surveyed 204 academic staff and analysed questionnaire data using structural equation modelling. Results indicate that the adoption of the LMS was associated with professional identity. Variations in aspects of professional identity not only shaped the extent of LMS usage, but was also predictive of qualitatively different ways of using the LMS for teaching. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have assessed the particular relationships between students' emotional well-being, both positive and negative and their learning. This study followed a cohort of mature students through their first semester at university. Four dimensions of emotional well-being were captured (enthusiasm, contentment, anxiety and depression) at three points in time during the semester. In addition, at the end of the semester, assessments were made of learning behaviours, affect and academic achievement. Emotional well-being fluctuated during the semester and each of the four dimensions exhibited a unique and predictive pattern of relationships with the suite of outcome measures. The findings highlight the importance of emotional well-being in shaping active engagement in learning and in determining affective and academic outcomes. The results are interpreted and the implications for the design of learning environments and teaching practice are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proactivity is important to individual success, particularly where individuals face significant obstacles and where formal support may be lacking or difficult to access. The study tracks mature students over a one-semester university preparation course designed for returners to learning. Measures of proactivity included proactive personality, confidence to perform proactive learning behaviors and frequency of proactive behaviors. While measures of proactive personality remained relatively stable, we observed increases in both confidence to perform and the frequency of proactive behaviors over time. At the end of semester these three variables were predictive of a number of outcomes including self-assessed self-directed learning, the taking of a mastery approach to learning, and grades. We argue that issues of proactivity are under-researched in higher education. The implications for course structure and student support are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning technologies are implemented in higher education institutions to enhance teaching and meet external challenges and demands. The adoption of the technologies by academics, however, frequently falls short of organisational aspirations. Academics respond in different and sometimes unpredictable ways. To advance understanding of factors influencing adoption, we systematically reviewed literature regarding academics' adoption of learning technologies. One hundred and thirty-one articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. The findings suggest that adoption is a complex process that is influenced by the learning technology, academics, context and strategies. To advance our understanding of learning technology adoption, we call for studies that challenge the current research assumption and address methodological issues. To facilitate staff adoption, we identify a list of effective strategies derived from the literature. • 131 articles on academics adoption of learning technologies are systematically reviewed. • Adoption is complex, influenced by technology, academics, context and strategies. • Multiple implications for practice and policy were identified • Future research should use longitudinal, multimethod research and robust measurement. • Future research should avoid the assumptions that adoption is desirable or binary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in Internet-enabled learning tends to focus on technologies implemented by institutions or staff. In reality, students learn with technologies that go beyond institutional offerings. This misalignment risks universities' approaches to online technologies being partially relevant to student learning. To understand student experiences, we followed hermeneutic phenomenology, interviewing 22 students from three New Zealand universities. Content and thematic analyses showed that students used non-institutional technologies to augment institutional offerings. They experienced institutional technologies as being overloaded with information, and non-institutional technologies as enabling them to process information expediently and take control of their own learning. We also identified differences between high and low-achieving students in technology use, which were associated with motivation, awareness of technologies, and metacognition. Our study highlights the role of non-institutional technologies in learning, which has implications for future research, for the design and implementation of institutional technologies, and for preparing students to learn with technologies. • There was limited research into students' use of non-institutional technologies. • Students chose non-institutional technologies for efficient and self-regulated learning. • Higher and lower achievers used non-institutional technologies differently. • The differences lay in motivation, awareness of technologies and metacognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]