Conference Programme

UHI Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Conference 2026

Inclusive Tertiary Learner Journeys: engagement in, progression through, and future proofing student learner journeys at UHI

Please refer to the Conference Programme Document which contains the programme, presenter biographies, session outlines and joining links for online participants.

DAY ONE

Wednesday 17 June - UHI Inverness

11:15 onward: Registration and light lunch/brunch

Quiet Room (no mobile call or work meetings please): 142

12:00 – 12:10: Lecture Theatre: Opening of the conference: Professor Keith Smyth, Dean of Learning, Teaching and Students UHI

12:10 – 12:15: Introductions to the keynotes: Alex Walker, Head of Academic Practice Development UHI

12:15 – 13:00: Lecture Theatre: Keynote: Dr Vic Boyd, Head of Learning and Teaching Academy (LTA) and Deirdre Murphy, Lecturer in the Learning and Teaching Academy (LTA), both at City of Glasgow College

13:00 – 13:10: Travel time

13:10 – 14:15: Parallel presentations and workshop

Delegates will select one room to attend.

Hybrid Participation: Presentations

Lecture Theatre

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Catherine Collin/Dr Catherine Porter: Full Circle Co‑Creation: From Student Designers to Student Facilitators in Optometry Education.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Speaker 2

Nathan Erskine(presenting online): Promoting Student Belonging in College-Based Higher Education.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Room 146/146

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Annie Mason/Scarlett Fox: Is it time to stop thinking of ‘diverse student journeys’ as something other than the norm?

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Speaker 2

Dr Megan Dickson/Morag Forbes: Adjustments Passports: A Tool for Inclusive Practice Learning

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Room G1d/e

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

CANCELLED

Speaker 2

Dr Corin Anderson: Co-Creating Learning Journeys: Students as Partners in a Networked Practice-Based Programme

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

In Person Participation: Workshops

Room 140

Simon Varwell: Critical thinking to enhance the student experience: how can we ask the right questions?

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

(in-person participation only)

14:15 – 14:45: Coffee and networking (including travel time)

Quiet Room (no mobile call or work meetings please): 142

14:45 – 15:15: Lecture Theatre: Student Officer panel: perspectives on UHI Transformation, shaping the student experience, and more

Oliver Sweeney: 2026-27 President (past Depute President Inverness)
Andi Garrity: 2026-27 Vice-President Education (past Perth President
Chloe Young: 2026-27 Depute President Inverness (past Inverness President)

Chair: Nicola Smith, Head of Student Experience

15:15 – 15:25: Travel time

15:25 – 16:30: Parallel presentations and workshop

Delegates will select one room to attend.

Hybrid Participation: Presentations

Lecture Theatre

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Dr Fióna Quinlan-Pluck: In your context: Recognising and supporting the pedagogical contributions of non-traditional teaching and support roles in the positive progression and experience of students

Themes: Positive Progression

Speaker 2

Lyndsay Sutherland/Michaela Gilmore: Student Funding: Money Matters.

Themes: Positive Progression

Room 146/147

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Doru Todoran: Analysis and Expanded Reflections on Responsive Pedagogies & Students as Partners.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement, Future Proofing.

Speaker 2

Maureen MacDonald: From Application to Offer: The Academic's role in Admissions.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement, Positive Progression

Room G1d/e

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Dr Clive Fox: Progression routes to Postgraduate research in UHI.

Themes: Positive Progression

Speaker 2

Nicola Smith: Retention in Practice: Building a Sustainable Early Warning System;

Themes: Positive Progression

In Person Participation: Workshops

Room 140

Tom Farrelly Nick Baker/Dr William Evans: Coaching Students to Climb the AI Spiral: Applying the Constraints-Led Approach to Curriculum Design

16:30 – 16:40: Travel time

16:40 – 17:10: Lecture Theatre: Gasta Presentations: Dr. Tom Farrelly is an Academic Developer/Lecturer at Munster Technological University (MTU)

Jilly Munro: Inspiring STEM Futures from the Early Years - An overview of the UHI STEM Outreach Programme (themes: Positive Progression)
Associate Professor Michelle Beattie and Dr Clive Fox: Expanding Access to Doctoral Education: PhD by Retrospective Publication or Portfolio (themes: Inclusive Engagement)
Kian McDonald: The environmental impact of GenAI: science students' views (themes: Future Proofing)

17:10: Finish day one: Canapés and drinks, UHI Inverness

DAY TWO

Thursday 18 June - UHI House

8:30 onward: Registration and coffee/pastries

Quiet Room (no mobile call or work meetings please): Classroom 3

09:00 – 09:10: Auditorium: Opening day two: Professor Brian Williams, Deputy Principal Academic and Research, UHI

09:10-09:15: Intro to keynote: Simon Varwell, Director of Student Engagement and Representation, HISA

09:15 – 10:00: Auditorium: Keynote: Tom Lowe, Principal Lecturer and Assistant Head of School (Student Experience) University of Westminster

10:00 – 10:05: Set up Gasta

10:05 – 10:30: Auditorium: Gasta UHI STEP Presentations: Dr. Tom Farrelly is an Academic Developer/Lecturer at Munster Technological University (MTU)

Professor Keith Smyth, Dean of Learning, Teaching and Students, An introduction to Scotland’s Tertiary Enhancement Programme (STEP)
Anna-Wendy Stevenson, Head of Academic Standards and Enhancement, Supporting Access, Progression and Successful Outcomes in Disabled Student Communities (SAPSO)
Liz Richardson (joining online), Head of Student Services, UHI Argyll: Strategies to Support Student Engagement and Partnership Within an Increasingly Time-Poor and Cash-Poor Student Population
Dr Vic Boyd: City of Glasgow College: STEP Project - Traversing Staff Development Project

10:30 – 10:55: Coffee and networking (including travel time)

Quiet Room (no mobile call or work meetings please): Classroom 3

10:55 – 12:00 Parallel presentations and workshops

Delegates will select one room to attend.

Hybrid Participation: Presentations

Auditorium

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Wendy Jessiman: What's in it for you? Use of a VLE active template and beyond!

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Speaker 2

Deirdre Anne Murphy:

Inclusion and Student Partnership Through Agency and Collaboration in Self and Peer Assessment Activities.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Classroom 4

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Katy O'Connor: From Theory to Reality: Lived Experience, Active Research, and the Social Scientist of the Future

Themes: Future Proofing

Speaker 2

Professor Rich Kyle (presenting online)

Supporting Positive Progression into Nursing for Healthcare Support Workers: Recommendations from a UHI Scoping Project

Themes: Positive Progression

Classroom 5

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Katie McClement/Katie Johnstone: ESOL projects supporting inclusivity and progression.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement; Positive Progression.

Speaker 2

Allie Scott: Designing Inclusive Campuses: Creating Accessible and Neuro-Affirming Learning Environments.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

In Person Participation: Workshops

Classroom 1

Richard Hughes/Kasia Szostak: Collaborative excellence in practice: delivering a inclusive library experience.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Hybrid Participation

Classroom 1

Nicola Smith/ Sorcha Kirker/Simon Varwell: Building student partnership through the SPA, TQER and more.

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

In-person participation

12:00 – 12:45: Lunch and networking

Quiet Room (no mobile call or work meetings please): Classroom 3

12:45– 12:50: Welcome to keynote: Nicola Smith, Head of Student Experience UHI

12:50 – 13:35: Auditorium: Keynote: Dr Charlie Ball, Head of labour market intelligence at JISC

13:35 – 13:45 Travel time

13:45– 14:50: Parallel presentations and workshops

Delegates will select one room to attend.

Hybrid Participation: Presentations

Auditorium

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Deepak Shamvedi: Bridging the Gap between Industry and Academia through Integrating Research-Led Project-Based Learning in a Graduate Apprenticeship Engineering Programme

Themes: Inclusive Engagement, Positive Progression

Speaker 2

Lois Gray/Clara Hickey: Supporting our working students: multiple means to nurture engagement, representation, action, and expression;

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Classroom 4

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

CANCELLED

Speaker 2

Iain Eisner/Helen Anton: Helping our students to be 'Future Fit' for life beyond UHI

Themes: Positive Progression

Classroom 5

After the first speaker, there will be a five minute swap over and then the second speaker will present.

Speaker 1

Simon Varwell: Empowering students to shape their learning experience: case studies from the Student Voice Rep system in 2025-26

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Speaker 2

Danielle Woods: Preparing Student Nurses for the Future: Developing Leadership, Teamworking and Communication Skills via a Major Incident Exercise.

Themes: Future Proofing

Workshops

Classroom 1

Lyndsay Sutherland/Lorna Ferguson: Confident conversations: Navigating disclosures of gender-based violence.

Themes: Positive Progression

In-person participation

Classroom 1

Wendy Jessiman/Alex Walker: General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) update- what do I have to do?

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Hybrid Participation

14:50 – 15:00: Travel time

15:00 – 15:25: Auditorium: Gasta: Dr. Tom Farrelly is an Academic Developer/Lecturer at Munster Technological University (MTU)

Thorsten Lauterbach. Robert Gordon University - STEP Belonging project
Andi Garrity, UHI Perth HISA President - STEP Language Accessibility
Clara Hickey, Work-based Learning Manager, Supporting Transferable Skills in FE and HE
Peter Noble (joining online), Curriculum Manager, UHI North, West and Hebrides - Why Soup Matters

15:25 – 15:30: Conference close

Session outlines and biographies

Keynote speakers

Gasta presentations

Short presentations

Interactive workshops

Student officer panel