University of Edinburgh Learning & Teaching Conference

The annual University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference brings together staff and students to celebrate and share good practice and innovation in learning and teaching.

 

Banner image with learning and teaching conference logo

 

Conference Update - November 24

The Learning and Teaching Conference 2025 will go ahead this year and will take place on Tuesday 17th June 2025. Please save the date. The Call for Proposals is now open!  

Learning and Teaching Conference 2025 - ‘Transformative Assessment and Feedback'

About the conference

The University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference will take place on Tuesday 17 June 2025.

The 2025 conference will be a one-day in-person conference and will take place in the Nucleus building, King's Buildings campus. 

 

The Call for Proposals for the 7th Learning and Teaching Conference is now open!  

To contact the Conference Organising Team with any questions, please email lt.conference@ed.ac.uk

Key dates for your diaries: 

Call for proposals: Open Now! 

Deadline to submit proposal: Wednesday 22 January, 2025 

Submitters informed of reviewers’ decisions: Early March 

Registration booking open (internal delegates): Late March 

Registration booking open (external delegates): Mid-April 

Images from the on-campus Day 1 of the 2023 Conference

  • Large screen display
  • Post-It notes
  • Conference Presentation
  • Conference Presentation
  • Conference Presenter
  • Conference Participant
  • Conference Participant
  • Conference Participant
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants
  • Conference Participants

Previous Conference Information and Resources

The University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference took place on 27-28 June 2023.

Day 1 (27 June) was held at Nucleus, King’s Buildings campus. The day focussed on keynote talks, panel discussions, workshops, paper presentations, walkshops, exhibitor stands, poster pitches, and opportunities to network.

Day 2 (28 June) took place online. This day showcased keynote talks, paper presentations, panel discussions, workshops, short talks and storytelling.

The aim of the conference was to bring together staff and students from across the institution to share good practice, to take a scholarly look at learning and teaching, and to continue to raise the profile of learning and teaching at The University of Edinburgh.

The theme for the 2023 Conference was ‘Scholarship of Teaching and Learning SoTL (SoTL)’. The sub-themes for the Conference 2023 were as follows:

  • Research-informed teaching
  • Innovation and creativity in teaching
  • Partnership
  • SoTL case studies

Keynote Speakers:

  • Professor Heather McQueen, Professor of Biology Education, University of Edinburgh, and students, Sophie Luc and Jessica O’Loughlin
  • Dr Irma Meijerman, Principal Fellow of the Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning, Utrecht University 
  • Professor Gert Biesta, Professor of Educational Theory and Pedagogy, University of Edinburgh
  • Barbara Becnel, PhD Candidate, Social Justice Activist and Author, The University of Edinburgh

Materials from many of the session presentations are available:


The University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference 2022 took place 14-16 June 2022. Day 1 (14 June) was held in the McEwan Hall with opportunities to watch online. This day focussed on keynote presentations, panel talks, poster presentations, and opportunities to network. Days 2 and 3 (15 & 16 June) took place online. These shorter days showcased paper presentations, workshops, short talks, panel discussions, and storytelling.

The conference aims to celebrate our teaching and share practice around the theme, 'Shaping Our Futures'. The sub-themes for the Conference 2022 were as follows:

  • Building community 
  • Teaching data skills, data ethics and AI
  • Sustainability 
  • Interdisciplinary teaching 
  • Hybridity reimagined: Teaching experientially in outdoor, indoor and online places
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 
  • Challenging accepted ways of thinking
  • Student-Staff co-creation curriculum work 
  • Engaging employers, community, and alumni.

Keynote speakers:

  • Professor Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer in Student Engagement at the Institute for Academic Development (IAD), University of Edinburgh
  • Tara Gold, EUSA Vice-President Education 2021-22 and Ellen MacRae, EUSA President 2020-22
  • Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills, and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris.

Materials from many of the session presentations are available:


The University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference 2021 was hosted online and ran over 3 days (15th - 17th June 2021 ) with the first day being open to colleagues outside the University to attend.

Presentations focused on 'curriculum as a site for transformation', and the following sub-themes:

  1. Building community 
  2. Innovation in science teaching 
  3. Equality, diversity, inclusion and social justice 
  4. Experiential, place-based and problem-based learning  
  5. Assessment and feedback for the future 
  6. New lessons in digital teaching – insights from hybrid and online learning  
  7. Student engagement and involvement 
  8. Interdisciplinary learning and teaching: local and global challenges 

Keynote speakers:

  • Prof Kerri-Lee Krause, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students), University of Melbourne, Australia
  • Prof Rowena Arshad CBE, FEIS, Chair in Multi-cultural and Anti-racist Education - Professor Emerita with the University of Edinburgh

Materials from many of the session presentations are available:


We were delighted to have been able to make the 2020 conference a fully online experience. 

The theme of the 2020 conference was 'Curriculum Futures'.  

Keynote speakers:

  • Prof Sian Bayne, Professor of Digital Education, the University of Edinburgh 
  • Prof Colm Harmon, Vice-Principlan Students and personal chair in Applied Economics, the University of Edinburgh.

Sessions from the conference were recorded and recordings and accompanying resources can be access by University of Edinburgh staff on the Learning & Teaching Conference website:


The second Learning and Teaching Conference was held in 2019 in the John MacIntyre Conference Centre at Pollock Halls.

The theme for the 2019 conference was 'Evidencing the Value of Learning and Teaching'.

Keynote speakers:

  • Professor Peter Felten, Professor of History, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, and Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University, North Carolina, USA.

Peter Felten's keynote presentation slides (PDF)

  • Dr Camille Kandiko Howson, Associate Professor of Education, Imperial College London.  

Camille Kandiko Howson’s keynote presentation slides (PDF)

Keynote presentations were recorded, and materials from many of the session presentations are also available. 


The University's first Learning & Teaching Conference was held in June 2018.

The theme of the 2018 conference was 'Inspiring Learning'.

You can watch this short video about the 2018 Conference which offers an insight into the reasons for running the Learning and Teaching Conference.

Keynote speakers: 

  • Prof Amy B M Tsui, Professor of Language and Education, University of Hong Kong
  • Dr Torgny Roxå, Senior Lecturer, Lund University, Sweden

Keynote presentations were recorded, and materials from many of the session presentations are also available.


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