Although faculties are more diverse, decentralized, and increasingly isolated in technology-supported modern universities, effective technology use can also foster faculty professional academic development and collegiality. This scoping literature review applied Cooper’s systemic review model and a categorical content analysis technique targeting decentralized collaborative research teams in higher education. Findings indicate technology supports formal and informal university and nonuniversity networks, as well as various collaborative research structures; all contributing to professional academic development. Shared attributes of successful collaborative online teams include a sense of social presence, accountability, institutional and team leadership. Collaborative teams are integral to research and allow more faculty members to contribute and benefit from professional academic development through scholarship. Collaborative team research should be investigated further to understand and promote cross-discipline and cultural collaboration potential for research and professional academic development possibilities with special attention given to opportunities for women, online, and adjunct faculty

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore perspectives of secondary (9–12) teachers on how to sustain growth mindset concepts within instructional practices as well as identifying barriers to sustainment.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed an exploratory case study to obtain the lived experiences of participants. An inductive analysis process was utilized on the data collected through structured interviews and a semi-structured focus group.FindingsFour major themes emerged from an in-depth analysis process: embed growth mindset practices in daily classroom instruction, communicate verbal affirmations and implement growth mindset learning tasks, allow students to experience academic successes and failures and teachers should receive continual support.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to secondary grades (9–12). Therefore, it is recommended to expand the study to grades K-8.Originality/valueDue to a gap in the literature, this study provided insights into sustaining an innovative psychological approach, growth mindset, within academic instruction. Growth mindset concepts have been supported through the work of seminal researcher Carol Dweck and other prevalent educational researchers (e.g. Robert Marzano) to provide teachers with effective classroom instructional practices that can academically progress students.

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Developers and designers of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) products are expressing concerns regarding accountability for ethical design and use of VR/AR products in virtual learning environments. Within the field of education, more research is needed to determine how VR/AR designers make decisions regarding ethical issues, and particularly when integrating media into learning content. The purpose of the qualitative inquiry study was to interview designers/developers of VR/AR products regarding their perceptions of ethics in design and use of VR/AR products designed for educational purposes. Data collection was achieved through a sample of self-described instructional designers and developers from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology membership. Through qualitative inquiry with one-on-one interviews, designers shared their stories about their perceptions of ethics in the design and development of VR/AR products for educational purposes.

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to discover the best practices used by information technology (IT) project managers to determine what leadership skills, behaviors, communication tools and techniques are needed to lead and communicate effectively with virtual IT project teams. Design/methodology/approach In this qualitative case study, data was gathered by semistructured interviews from ten successful IT project managers from Northern California who had more than ten years of experience managing virtual teams (VTs) with growing and profitable IT companies in Silicon Valley, California. Findings IT project managers and leaders may consider building personal relationships with team members at the beginning of each project to foster a sense of camaraderie and common ground for the successful outcome and desired results. Maintaining cohesive team relationships to gain their trust and confidence may require additional coaching, mentoring, collaborating, recognizing their accomplishments, providing technical training, and understanding different cultures and local laws that relate to VTs to manage projects successfully to move projects forward in sustaining business, and assure customer satisfaction. Originality/value Findings from this study may assist IT project managers and leaders in building trust and rapport, increasing efficiency and developing effective lines of communication within their virtual IT teams.