Category Archives: altc2025

altc2025

Sketchnoting at ALT-C

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This week I was in Glasgow for the Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C). This year it is shorter.

While I was there I did a couple of sketch notes of two of the keynotes.

My sketch notes are really for me, rather than other people. The process of sketching allows me to digest for myself what is been talked about and demonstrated. The sketch note provides me with a mechanism that provides a process for my interpretation of what is being said and what I understand from the talk. The process of sketching engages me in the talk in ways in which note taking does for others or conversing on social media.

The first of these was from Charles Knight.

Being a leader, not an algorithm: Human skills for an AI-Shaped Future

Artificial Intelligence as a contested technology, is increasingly positioned as the solution to every challenge, from assessment to personalisation, efficiency, and leadership.  In this keynote, Dr Charles Knight, Director of Leadership, Governance and Management at Advance HE, will explore the intersection of leadership and technology, asking: what uniquely human skills and behaviours ATL members need to thrive? Drawing on insights from leadership practice, digital innovation, and organisational development, this session will challenge assumptions and surface blind spots, and argue for a very human set of skills.

The second was the keynote by Gabi Witthaus.

Engaging Learning: Rethinking Inclusion with Insights from the Margins

This talk is about how learning designers can foster more inclusive student participation in online learning by considering four key dimensions of engagement—cognitive, behavioural, social, and emotional. Student engagement is important because it is correlated with retention, especially for students living in precarious circumstances. There is evidence that engagement in any one dimension can fuel engagement in the others—and the corollary is also true: disengagement in one dimension can cascade into others, fuelling broader disengagement. I will argue that while academia tends to value the cognitive and behavioural, for some students—especially those in contexts of conflict, crisis and displacement—social and emotional engagement may be critical to the successful completion of their studies.

altc2025, weeknotes

Reforming Higher Education – Weeknote #347 – 24th October

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The big story this week was the publication of the e government’s post-16 education and skills white paper.

What is in the post-16 education and skills white paper for higher education? Well WonkHE as per usual does a really good job of analysing what was in it for higher education.

In terms of strategic ambition, there are five objectives for the sector: economic growth, a high quality experience, national capability via specific research and skills development, regional impact, and an increase in international standing. In the international domain, these translate into global standing, nationally to government goals on growth, security and skills, regionally to meeting skills needs through collaboration, and at provider level, to specialisation and efficiency.

There was much discussion about collaboration and sharing by providers, as well as a focus on specialisation.

Though the news about increased fees will be welcomed by institutions, I wonder what the reaction will be from prospective students. Yes, student fee debt, is not really debt as often explained by Martin Lewis, but as he says the amount you borrow is mostly irrelevant day to day – it works more like a tax. The reality is that extra 9% tax on earnings above £25,000 will make a difference, in terms of things like mortgage affordability, but also when comparing graduate income levels to non-graduate income levels. Throw in the temptations of a degree apprenticeship where there are no fees and debts (and you get paid). Could we see a paradigm shift in young people going to university? There is no longer talk about 50% of young people going to university, this has been swapped with the two-thirds under-25 participation in higher-level learning.

Next week we have a Korean delegation from KERIS visiting us in our London offices. With over twenty five delegates there was some logistical stuff to sort out, as well as my travel.

I continued working on the E in NREN project, planning for two workshops in November, as well as thinking about a session at TNC 26 in Helsinki in June next year.

At the end of the week I was in Glasgow for the Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C). This year it is both shorter than usual, later than usual. Unlike previous conferences, it is taking place in a hotel rather than an university. In the past ALT-C was a three day conference, this year it was concentrated into two days.

I really enjoyed and got a lot out of the conference. I have been part of this community for over twenty years, attending my first ALT-C back in 2003.

altc2025

Hanging out in Glasgow for ALT-C

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Glasgow

This week I am in Glasgow for the Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C). This year it is both shorter than usual, later than usual, and in a twist isn’t in Manchester or Warwick, but in Glasgow. Also unlike previous conferences, it is taking place in a hotel rather than an university. I suspect the reason for the hotel is that it is taking place in October so there would be no conference availability at an university campus.

My first ALT-C was back in 2002, which was at Sheffield. I have written about this event before, back then I didn’t think it was the conference for me. So, much so, that when ALT-C 2003 took place in Exeter (which is literally just down the road from me) I didn’t go. I did go to Manchester in 2004 and really enjoyed the conference.

Since then I have been nearly every year, though I did miss last year’s conference.

I am not presenting this year, I was way too late for the submission deadline. So, as a delegate I am interested in looking at the current landscape for learning technology in higher education, as well as having conversations about student mobility, collaboration and shared services.

altc2025, weeknotes

Making preparations – Weeknote #346 – 17th October

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laptop
Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay

Though I tested negative for covid I am still feeling the after effects of having had covid. I am not too surprised by this as my last experience with covid back in 2021 was horrific. This week though I was mainly working from home. I had planned to get to the Bristol office, but there were some issues with the car park.

I spent time planning various trips, conferences, events and visits that are happening over the next few months.

I was supporting the planning and design of some workshops that will take place in Amsterdam in November.

Next week I am in Glasgow for ALT-C. I didn’t go last year for various reasons, though I did enjoy attending in 2023 at Warwick. I am not presenting, but am interested in having conversations about collaboration, sharing, and student mobility.

altc2025, weeknotes

Opportunities for efficiency – Weeknote #340 – 5th September

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Back to work after a week off. August is quite quiet for Jisc, partly as it is quiet for higher education. September though, is when it all kicks off. Though saying that, last week another blog post on the Jisc websites, Setting the foundations for successful collaboration was published.

Convincingly making the case for collaboration across the higher education sector for better student experiences is crucial, but how do you get key people on board for institutional and personal buy-in?

As with most content that I have published on the Jisc website, it was a group effort in writing it. It has developed and changed since I originally proposed the idea. It complements the post It’s better together – how to make the case for collaboration which was published the week before.

This week saw the publication by UUK and Jisc of the report, Opportunities for efficiency through shared services.

The Universities UK (UUK) commissioned report, led by Jisc, presents a compelling case for a sector-wide action plan. New recommendations, published today, outline opportunities for smarter collaboration across the UK higher education (HE) sector, drawing on the long history of successful shared services that play a vital role in securing improved user experience and significant university cost savings through greater efficiency.

The report, developed under the UUK Transformation and Efficiency Taskforce, calls on universities to make best use of existing, underutilised shared services to fully support entrepreneurial, locally driven initiatives and encourage nationwide growth. It highlights that while shared services like UCAS and Jisc’s Janet Network are used right across UK HE, most others remain underutilised due to lack of awareness, funding, and strategic coordination.

I did a significant amount of work on this report; it was one of three that we worked on as part of strand 2.

I was invited to attend the Universities UK’s Annual Conference 2025 which was taking place this week at the University of Exeter. Exeter is just over an hour away down the M5, so quite an easy place to get to. Jisc’s CEO was delivering two sessions supporting the publication of the report.

It was a good conference with some very good sessions and insights.  I am though reminded of the recent post I wrote about hindsight in which I looked at the challenges and change that Intel and Kodak faced, and some would say failed to adapt to. I had listened to a podcast, which discussed how Kodak did not adapt well to the digital revolution in photography. It was interesting as it wasn’t as though Kodak ignored digital, they actually produced a handheld digital camera back in 1975.

The current economic climate and the state of financial sustainability is here, and universities know this. This was expressed many times during the conference. However universities may know and realise that they need to change, but they can’t afford to make those changes now. As a result they may never change.

Usually at the time of year I would be off to the ALT Conference, well I didn’t go last year. This year the conference is taking place later in October up in Glasgow. As my role is less about learning technology and more about strategic operational issues, the value of the conference to my work is less than in other years. There are some interesting looking sessions on the programme, so it’s on my list of possible conferences, but we will have to see.

I had a couple of meetings about NRENS 4 Education (or E in NREN as I have bene referring to it on the blog).