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.

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.

The quality of relationships between supervisors and their subordinates has been found to be predictive of subordinate performance. A number of explanatory mechanisms have been proposed, and the frequency and nature of dyadic communication have been posited as contributory. To further explore this potential mechanism, the authors tested the hypothesis that upward influencing communications mediate the relationship between relationship quality, as measured by leader-member exchange (LMX), and supervisor ratings of subordinate performance. In a study involving 107 supervisors, LMX was positively associated with reported frequencies of upward influences delivered as rational argument and negatively associated with ingratiatory and assertive communications. LMX was also positively associated with performance ratings, but this relationship was fully mediated by the frequency of upward influencing tactics, with rational argument being positively predictive of performance ratings and assertiveness being negatively associated with ratings of performance.

Recent technological developments have influenced a shift in the use of videos in Health Professions Education (HPE). Rather than casting students in the role of observers of videos, educators have...

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.