Research indicates that teachers' conceptions of and approaches to teaching with technology are central for the successful implementation of educational technologies in higher education. This study advances this premise. We present a 10-year longitudinal study examining teachers' conceptions of and approaches to teaching and learning with technology. Nine teachers on an online Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy at a Swedish university were studied using a phenomenographic approach. Results showed clear differences between novice and experienced teachers. Although novice teachers initially held more teacher-focused conceptions, they demonstrated greater and more rapid change than experienced colleagues. Experienced teachers tended to exhibit little to no change in conceptions. Supporting conceptual change should therefore be a central component of professional development activities if a more effective use of educational technology is to be achieved.

To cope with the rapidly changing higher education climate, teachers need agency to act proactively in initiating and steering changes in practice. This paper describes an academic development activity in the form of a Change Laboratory, an intervention method based on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, to facilitate agency among teachers. The results of the study indicate that transformative agency emerges when teachers are given the opportunity to analyse, envision, and redesign their practice collaboratively. This has implications for academic development, suggesting that activities facilitating discussion, analysis, and criticism of current practices are needed to support the development of agency.

Teaching quality improvements frequently focus upon the 'development' of individual academics in higher education. However, research also shows that the academics' context has considerable influence upon their practices. This study examines the working environments of teachers on an online pharmacy programme, investigating contextual conditions that facilitate or impede academic change and development. Interview data and institutional policy documents are examined within a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory framework. Distinct differences in the teachers' sociocultural context were identified as influencing change and development. Departmental teaching cultures and patterns of communication influenced practice both positively, by offering collegial support, and negatively by impeding change. The findings have significance for academic development strategies. They suggest that departmental-level support should include communicative pathways that promote reflection upon and development of conceptions of teaching and learning.

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Background: Family systems nursing embraces the view that one family member’s illness affects other family members and vice versa. Family nursing developed as a way for nurses to work with families to promote health. Previously, teachers performed most of the education on health-promoting conversations with families on campus. Because online education is increasingly requested in nursing, this article evaluates teaching family systems nursing by using synchronous online health-promoting conversations.

Methods: Fifteen registered nurses attended the course “Health-Promoting Family Focused Nursing”, an advanced-level nursing elective 10-week course. The course used technology enhanced learning and was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Students and teachers participated in semi-structured focus group interviews analyzed qualitatively. The students filled in a traditional course evaluation. Students responded before and after the course to the multidimensional research instrument “Families’ Importance in Nursing Care—Nurse’s Attitudes” (FINC-NA).

Results: The students were satisfied with the course and the synchronous health-promoting conversations. They learned to “think family” and acknowledged the importance of inviting families to take part in the care of a family member. They stated that the online practice had helped them gain a useful tool for their future family nursing practice. The teachers appreciated working in a team to develop the course. At the start of the project they viewed the online technology as a challenge. However, during the course they saw many pedagogical possibilities with the synchronous meetings and that the online family conversation training worked well. The ability to record the meetings offered educational advantages and the opportunity for students to reflect on the conversations. Even if the students rated families importance in nursing care positively prior to the course on FINC-NA, the students still gave the following domains even stronger support post-course: Family as a resource in nursing care, Family as a burden, and Family as own resource.