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

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/4

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

Speaker 1

Ali Hepburn: Play in Higher Education

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

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 141

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

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

Room 142

Allie Scott

Grounded Learning: Integrating Simple Grounding Practices into Teaching and Learning Spaces

Themes: Future Proofing

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)
Alasdair MacLeod: 2025-27 Depute President NWH Hebrides
Esméemilja MacKenna: 2026/ Depute President Orkney (past Orkney Student Intern)
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 146/146

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

Speaker 1

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

Themes: Positive Progression

Speaker 2

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

Themes: Inclusive Engagement, Positive Progression

Room G1d/4

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 141

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)
Dr Michelle Beattie/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)
Jamie Thomson: Online versus in-person learning: students’ views from AHBE (themes: Future Proofing)

17:10: Finish day one: Canapés and drinks

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

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 – 10:10: Set up Gasta

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

TBC

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

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

Themes: Inclusive Engagement, 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

Classroom 1

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

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

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

Ali Hepburn/Ingrid Groat: Sustaining Culture Through Food: Intergenerational Heritage Skills, Place-Attentiveness, and Early Learning in Orkney

Themes: Future Proofing

Speaker 2

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

Themes: Future Proofing

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

In Person Participation: Workshops

Classroom 1

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

Themes: Positive Progression

Classroom 1

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

Themes: Inclusive Engagement

14:50 – 15:00: Travel time

15:00 – 15:20: Auditorium: Gasta UHI STEP Presentations: Dr. Tom Farrelly is an Academic Developer/Lecturer at Munster Technological University (MTU)

TBC

15:20 – 15:30: Conference close