Sponsors
2026
Wed 9th Sept
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Thurs 10th Sept
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About the Keynotes
Keynote Speakers
Dr Alicja Syska, Associate Professor of Humanities and Education, University of Plymouth.
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Dr Alicja Syska is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Education at the University of Plymouth, where she previously held a decade long role in Learning Development. She holds a PhD in American Studies from Saint Louis University, USA, and is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE (PFHEA) and an ALDinHE Senior Fellow.
Her work focuses on authentic student engagement through academic writing, the cultivation of attention, community building, interdisciplinary approaches, and Third Space identities, with a particular interest in people centred and inclusive practices in contemporary higher education. She serves as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, Lead Editor of the Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal, and co hosts the Learning Development Project podcast.
Conference Abstract
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Student Engagement in Higher Education: Authentic, Actually
Authenticity was theorised in ruins. So was attention. Add to this a certain angel – frozen between a past he cannot leave and a future he cannot see – and you have something to say about where we find ourselves in higher education right now. This keynote lets all three loose on the question of authentic student engagement, drawing on philosophy, on history, and on the messy and humbling reality of teaching at the contemporary university. Structured not as a hero’s journey but as something less tidy (descent included), it asks what genuine student engagement actually requires of us, and whether we are prepared to give it.
Professor Roisín Curran PFHEA.
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Roisín is Professor of Curriculum Design and Pedagogy and Head of the Centre for Curriculum Enhancement and Approval within the Learning Enhancement Directorate at Ulster University. Roisín started her teaching career in Further Education in 1997 having previously worked in the financial services industry in London for nine years. Since 2004 she has worked as a staff and educational developer at Ulster University, was Interim Head of the Centre for HE Research and Practice (2020-23), and in June 2023 took up her current position as Head of the Centre for Curriculum Enhancement and Approval.
Roisín led a cross-disciplinary project team at Ulster as part of the national 'What works? Student Retention and Success Change Programme (2013-16) involving 13 institutions across the UK. This collaborative action research has further extended our knowledge of what works in relation to improving student engagement, continuation and success. Roisín has a particular interest in staff and student co-creation and has published papers on the impact of a 'students as partners' approach on staff-student engagement.
In 2018, Roisín co-developed Ulster’s Integrated Curriculum Design Framework (ICDF). Underpinned by the dimensions of curriculum design of Knowing, Doing and Being (Barnett and Coate, 2005), ICDF provides targeted support across the lifecycle of curriculum design, approval, and delivery. Roisin is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Panel Speakers
Emily Bastable, PhD Researcher, University of Southampton
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Emily Bastable has been working in HE staff and student development for the past five years, mainly in the core areas of student engagement, authentic assessment, knowledge exchange and research impact. She has served two years on the QAA’s advisory board, as well as supporting the writing of the QAA quality code where she was able to develop her knowledge of quality and standards in HE across the four UK nations.
She currently serves on the committee for RAISE as a student member, and is the Co-Head of Programmes for the international education charity Professors without Borders. Emily’s PhD research at the University of Southampton looks at integrating knowledge exchange into undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, and has thus become a university champion for student knowledge exchange, as well as being a founding member of the Student Voice Network, a staff professional development community.
Sue Beckingham, Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching, Sheffield Hallam.
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Sue Beckingham is an Associate Professor in Learning and Teaching (NTF, PFHEA, SFSEDA, CMBE), the Learning and Teaching Lead in Computing and Digital Technologies at Sheffield Hallam University and one of the university’s SoTL Leads. She is also a Visiting Professor at Arden University and a Visiting Fellow at Edge Hill University.
Her research interests include social media for learning and the use of technology to enhance active learning. She is the co-founder and current lead of the international #LTHEchat 'Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Chat'. Recent publications include Creative Approaches to Academic Advising and Personal Tutoring: A Practical Guide of Methods, Activities and Curriculum Design, Routledge; Using Generative AI Effectively on Higher Education: Sustainable and Ethical Practices for Learning Teaching and Assessment, Routledge; and two chapters in The Lecturers Toolkit 6th edition, Routledge.
Sam Elkington, Professor of Learning and Teaching, Teesside University.
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Sam Elkington holds both a National Teaching Fellowship and Principal Fellowship of Advance HE, Sam is Professor of Learning & Teaching at Teesside University, heading the university-wide Learning & Teaching Enhancement portfolio since September 2018. Professor Elkington has over 15 years of experience in higher education across teaching, research, academic leadership, and policy. Having previously worked as the national lead for assessment & feedback and flexible learning at Advance HE, he is a prominent voice in UK higher education pedagogy and research, focused on transformative assessment, inclusive learning environments, and flexible, student-centred teaching.
Mary Udeze, President of Northumbria Students' Union and Trustee at The Angelou Centre.
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Mary Udeze is the past President of Northumbria Students' Union and a Trustee at The Angelou Centre. As the first Black female President representing 45,000+ students and the first in her family to attend university, she founded the Be The First mentoring platform to empower future leaders.
Translating her public health background into action, Mary championed systemic inclusion. She delivered a dedicated Muslim prayer facility, fairer payment plans, and Wonkhe-featured initiatives: the SU's largest Black History Month and the now-annual International Students' Week to celebrate Northumbria's diverse student body.
Tackling hardship, she digitised the pantry, secured £30k and a FareShare partnership for Newcastle's food pantry (supporting 800+ unique users), introduced & funded London campus food vouchers. As Co-chair of the Students as Partners forum, Mary collaborated with local universities and the City Council on transport, housing, and nighttime safety. Her International Women's Day 2026 partnership with the Council secured a first-ever official feature for the SU and the "Girls Who Run" society, cementing her human-centred legacy.