Dr Eleni Meletiadou, Associate Professor (Teaching), Principal Fellow and National Teaching Fellow, shares why our 2025 Teaching and Learning Conference is an unmissable moment for transformation in higher education.
What does the future of higher education look like – and how can we ensure that it’s inclusive, impactful and built to last?
These questions are at the heart of this year’s Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2025, set to take place in the vibrant city of Sheffield this summer. As someone who has spent years working at the intersection of equity, digital pedagogy and multilingual education, I’m genuinely thrilled to not only attend but also deliver a keynote at this flagship event.
Advance HE has always championed inclusive and evidence-based approaches to leadership, learning and teaching. Their annual conference isn’t just a gathering of educators; it’s a space for co-creation, inspiration, and community-building. With this year’s theme – “Future-Focused Education: Ensuring Successful Student Outcomes for All” – the event offers an urgent and timely platform for educators to reimagine how we deliver learning in a fast-changing world.
Why this conference matters
In recent years, we’ve all experienced the transformational impact of global crises – from the pandemic to the rapid pace of AI integration – and how these shifts are reshaping our classrooms, students’ needs and our institutional responsibilities. The 2025 conference offers not only a chance to share solutions but to lead meaningful, sustainable change across the sector.
I’ll be delivering a keynote titled “Education for Social Justice and Sustainable Learning Development in Higher Education.” I’ll share insights from my leadership journey as a Principal Fellow of Advance HE and National Teaching Fellow, including how I’ve worked with international teams to embed equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), multilingualism and digital innovation into European curricula. I’ll also reflect on the difference this work has made for students – particularly those from underrepresented and transnational backgrounds – who are often navigating multiple challenges within the system.
What makes the Advance HE conference special?
The conference brings together academic and professional staff from across the UK and internationally to showcase what works in teaching and learning. This year’s focus on social justice, student success, digital transformation and cross-cultural innovation is particularly close to my heart. Whether you’re an early career educator or an experienced leader, the sessions are designed to offer practical ideas, thought-provoking research, and above all, the space to reflect and connect.
For me, conferences like this are not only about sharing practice – but about shaping the future, collectively. I’ve seen first-hand how attending this event can inspire new projects, foster international collaborations and renew our shared commitment to delivering student-centred education.
A personal milestone
The opportunity to speak at this year’s conference also marks a special moment in my own career, as I actively pursue Full Professorship. I see this milestone not just as a title, but as a platform to amplify the voices of students and staff working for a more just, multilingual, and digitally inclusive HE system.
A call to action
If you’re passionate about transforming education – and you want to be part of a community that doesn’t just talk about the future but builds it – I warmly invite you to join us in Sheffield.
Let’s shape the future of teaching and learning, together.
Dr Eleni Meletiadou is an Associate Professor (Teaching), Principal Fellow of Advance HE (PFHEA), National Teaching Fellow (NTF), and Director of the RILEAS and GEDI Research Groups. Her work focuses on inclusive assessment, multilingual education, and digital pedagogy in European higher education.
