Healthy digital learning environments relate to faculty wellbeing through technological adaptation and perceived organizational support

Digitally mediated teaching practices have changed faculty occupational behaviors and working conditions, exposing faculty to greater demands associated with always-on connectivity, extended screen-time, sedentary work posture, and technology-mediated occupational stressors. The current research explored associations between healthy digital learning environments (HDLE) and faculty well-being via the proposed moderators of technological adaptation and perceived organizational support. The researchers posited digitally mediated faculty scholarly work as an issue of occupational health and public health. The data was collected from a sample of 500 faculty who were employed at colleges and universities in and around Hyderabad India. Using Socio-Technical Systems Theory as a foundation and the Job Demands–Resources Model as a guide, the researchers tested relationships using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples. HDLE was significantly and positively associated with technological adaptation (β = 0.463, p < .001) and perceived organizational support (β = 0.374, p < .001). The researchers found a non-significant direct association between HDLE and faculty well-being (β = 0.019, p = .912). Perceived organizational support was a significant predictor of faculty well-being (β = 0.309, p < .001) and technological adaptation was a significant predictor of faculty well-being (β = 0.167, p = .002). HDLE had a significant indirect association with faculty well-being when tested through both technological adaptation and perceived organizational support (full mediation). Faculty who worked in environments with healthier technology use reported greater adaptive capacities to technology, higher levels of perceived organizational support, and greater well-being. The current study highlights organizational support and technological adaptation as relevant workplace resources and establishes potential occupation- and mental-health implications of human-centered digital learning environments. Future research should include longitudinal designs.