Teaching and Learning Conference

Teaching and Learning Conference 2026: Success by Design: The Future of Learning Now

Join global educators at the Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2026. Explore innovative practice, share research, and shape the future of higher education.

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

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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
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Speakers day 1

 

In Conversation Keynote

Alistair Jarvis CBE

Chief Executive
 ,
Advance HE
Alistair Jarvis CBE
Alistair is Chief Executive of Advance HE, a member-led charity that supports higher education institutions to develop and improve with a particular focus on excellence in teaching and learning, effective governance, leadership development and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion. Advance HE has over 450 members – in the UK and internationally working with people, education providers and systems around the world, to understand challenges in higher education, and to deliver solutions. 
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Panellist

Nina Slingsby

Social Sustainability Leader and CEO of OAHA
Nina Slingsby
Nina Slingsby is a social sustainability leader and CEO of OAHA. OAHA's work helps organisations turn purpose into measurable impact across people, supply chains and communities. With more than 20 years’ experience spanning People & Culture, transformation, inclusion and responsible business, she works at the intersection of organisational change and wider systems change. Nina specialises in place-based, cross-sector collaboration to tackle social inequality, strengthen social mobility and ensure that as technology, AI and climate change reshape society, people and communities are not left behind. She also sits on the Board of the Social Mobility Leaders’ Forum, is a Trustee of a charity and coaches Social Enterprises through her Mentor role at Unltd.
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Speakers day 2

 

Keynote

Professor Cath Ellis

Pro Vice-Chancellor Quality and Integrity
 ,
Western Sydney University
Professor Cath Ellis
Professor Cath Ellis is the Pro Vice-Chancellor Quality and Integrity at Western Sydney University. Professor Ellis is one of the world’s leading experts on academic integrity and contract cheating. In 2019 the Times Higher Education named her as one of their People of the Year for her work in this area and also achieved the Principal Fellowship status with Advance HE. She has leadership expertise in educational strategy, academic governance, regulatory compliance, and quality assurance and enhancement in higher education in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Professor Ellis also worked with the Australian Government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) on a short course and masterclasses on detecting and investigating contract cheating.

Professor Ellis has previously held positions at the University of Wollongong, University of Huddersfield in the UK, UNSW and the University of Sydney, and has also worked as an independent consultant.

In her role at WSU, Professor Ellis works closely with the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching, Professor Brian Stout, and the rest of the Education Division leadership team to deliver our strategic objectives and support the broader learning and teaching community.
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Panellist

Professor Emily Nordmann

Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching and Professor of Evidence-Informed Education
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University of Glasgow
Professor Emily Nordmann wearing a white blazer and light-coloured top, shown in a professional head‑and‑shoulders portrait against a plain background.
Professor Emily Nordmann, University of Glasgow, is Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching and Professor of Evidence‑Informed Education. Her research focuses predominantly on lecture capture, exploring how students use it as an effective study tool and examining its impact on students from widening‑participation backgrounds, as well as those with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions.
Her leadership roles have centred on supporting colleagues on the learning, teaching, and scholarship track. She currently leads the College of MVLS LTS Network and previously founded and led the Pedagogy and Education Research Unit in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience.
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Speakers day 3

 

Panellist

Jonathan Neves

Head of Business Intelligence & Surveys
 ,
Advance HE
Jonathan-Neves
Jonathan joined Advance HE in 2015, bringing with him 16 years’ experience in customer insight and market research. Jonathan graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in Geography, and is a full member of the Market Research Society. Heading up the insights and student surveys portfolio at Advance HE, Jonathan is co-author of the Advance HE-HEPI Student Academic Experience Survey report, and is responsible for the overall strategy for the UK Engagement Survey as well as the Postgraduate Taught and Research Experience Surveys (PTES and PRES). Jonathan has also worked across the sector collaborating on the use of the UK Engagement Survey within Learning Gain pilots.
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Programme
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Day 1 Part 1 TL 2026

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Day 1 Part 2 TL 2026

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Day 2 Part 1 TL 2026

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Day 2 Part 2 TL 2026

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Day 3 Part 1 TL 2026

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Day 3 Part 2 TL 2026

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Posters Day 1

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Posters Day 2

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Posters Day 3

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Abstracts
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Abstracts Day 1

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Abstracts Day 2

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Abstracts Day 3

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Posters Abstracts

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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.
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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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