Overview
With a rich history of evolution, higher education is rightly proud of its track record of enabling individuals to be successful in their lives and careers. But amidst rapid macro level changes – in student needs, technology and the world of work – to be successful into the future, higher education will need to continue to change: intelligently, and by design. Student success is no longer defined by a single measure or milestone. It is shaped by every moment of connection, growth, and opportunity across the whole learning journey. For today’s students, success might mean securing meaningful employment, launching a venture, deepening research, or finding a sense of belonging and purpose.
For governments and regulators, it is about outcomes, accountability, and equity. For institutions, it is about demonstrating value, resilience, and impact. At its heart, student success is the shared responsibility of everyone who contributes to the higher education experience; academics, professional staff, technicians, careers experts, learning developers, librarians, marketers, and more. Institutions which navigate challenge will be those that plan and prepare for success by design – understanding students, developing our colleague base and planning for educational excellence.
Success by Design: The Future of Learning Now will support you and your teams to move beyond incremental improvement and plan for bold, whole institution change. How can we build learning environments where every student can thrive? Where teaching, technology, support, and strategy are designed with success in mind from the very beginning. How do we make the right choices about change in our students’ experiences and how do we equip our institutions and our colleagues for success?
Date: 30 June - 2 July 2026
Venue: The Wave, University of Sheffield
Early booking discount closes 3 February 2026
Conference themes and structure
The conference will take place over three days, with delegates welcome to attend
the entire three days or choose from individual days and evening events.
Each day will be structured in themes as follows:
Day 1, Tuesday 30 June 2026
- Theme 1: Success by Design: The Future of Learning Now
- Theme 2: Embedding success from the ground up
- Theme 3: Digital with purpose
Day 2, Wednesday 1 July 2026
- Theme 1: Success by Design: The Future of Learning Now
- Theme 4: Excellence in action
- Theme 5: Quality and transformation
Day 3, Thursday 2 July 2026
- Theme 1: Success by Design: The Future of Learning Now
- Theme 6: Leadership for the future
- Theme 7: Shaping the student offer
Why attend?
In a time of rapid transformation and increasing expectations around quality, equity, and outcomes, the Teaching and Learning Conference is your space to:
- Share evidence-based research and practice
- Explore innovations in curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment
- Learn from the successes (and lessons) of peers from across sectors and borders
- Celebrate student engagement and the impact of your teaching
- Shape the narrative of excellence and inclusivity in higher education
Expect keynote addresses, interactive sessions, panel discussions, and workshops that spark debate, inspire change, and foster collaboration beyond institutional boundaries.
Who should attend?
This event is designed for anyone involved in shaping teaching and learning in higher education, including:
- Teaching academics, lecturers, and learning technologists
- Academic programme leaders and curriculum developers
- Professional services colleagues supporting student success
- Senior leaders and policymakers
- Advance HE Fellows and aspiring Fellows
Whether you’re a practitioner or a policymaker, an early-career academic or a seasoned strategist, this conference is your opportunity to engage with like-minded professionals and contribute to a sector-wide conversation about the future of learning.
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