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Hear from Leeds Beckett University’s Digital Learning Service about a project to upgrade the University’s virtual learning environment (MyBeckett) to Blackboard Ultra by the end of summer 2026.

Schools, Subject Areas and Course Teams were invited to register for their preferred upgrade window following an ‘early adoption’ scheme, which enabled the team to gather experiences on supporting the transition and learn how best to facilitate the process at scale. This has enabled us to tailor our support and staff development, building a bank of reusable resources.

With partnership at the heart of this project, this webinar will celebrate and share the collaborative approach taken to balance the need to upgrade against colleagues’ capacity to engage positively with change. We will consider project management, communications, risk, teamwork and lessons learned.

The Digital Learning Service is part of Library and Learning Services at Leeds Beckett University. The team provides phone and email support, colleague development and in-curriculum student sessions, and maintains / enhances digital learning platforms.

CPD Webinar Host: 

   Rianne MacArthur, Digital Learning Service Manager, Leeds Beckett University

 

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MONTHLY ALT NEWS - ISSUE 050, OCTOBER 2025

 

WELCOME TO YOUR MONTHLY NEWS UPDATE FROM THE LEADING PROFESSIONAL BODY FOR
LEARNING TECHNOLOGY IN THE UK.

We support a collaborative community for individuals and organisations from
all sectors, and provide professional recognition and development. Each
month, we will update you on latest news and publications, events,
jobs, and calls for proposals from across the learning technology
community.   [...]

As this is a busy time of year for many colleagues, we are extending the deadline to submit Expressions of Interest for the roles of Vice-Chair or Trustee on ALT’s Board to Monday 3 November 2025 at 9:00 AM. We hope this additional time allows members to fully consider this exciting opportunity to contribute to ALT’s strategic leadership.

By Laura Milne, ALTC25 Co-chair

(especially for conference newcomers) 

When first I heard about ALT, I was amazed – a whole community of people like me, who geek out about the kinds of things I geek out about, and who get excited about the best way to deliver meaningful learning experiences enhanced by technology? These were my people! I had been working as a learning designer for several years in South Africa before relocating to the UK for work, and suddenly my LinkedIn page and twitter feed were filling up with colleagues from other institutions and other sectors sharing their passions, their projects and often their intractable challenges for group input. 

I felt, however, that I was somewhat on the outside of this magical space – unable to quite tap into the community spirit that I could see. That is, until I started being a contributor myself, and building my own network by participating in webinars and attending conferences like ALTc. 

Conferences bring people together 

Conferences are a really powerful way to meet lots of people and dispel some of the awkwardness you  might feel about connecting with others. I like meeting new people, but at times get stuck on the small-talk aspect of it. Conferences help this – you’re co-located (so less awkward than setting up a call with a stranger), you’ve got topics in common – “what did you think about Professor Naidoo’s keynote? I am just buzzing with ideas on how to integrate escape rooms into our induction process!” – and if you’re speaking or presenting your work, you will find some really excellent interlocuters and possible future collaborative partners! 

I admit that I had to overcome my worry that somehow I might be intruding or bothering other delegates, so if this is you, please don’t worry. People will generally be welcoming, and are usually glad that someone else was brave and broke the ice! Remember, people come to conferences intentionally to meet others and network. Though if someone is clearly sitting in a corner with headphones on, it might be best to give them some space; we all need down-time, and some have shorter social batteries than others. 

Sector networks: action groups, spaces to share problems 

Now, what about the rest of the year, when we aren’t all co-located at Warwick or Manchester or Glasgow? Well, some of my best collaborative and supportive relationships have developed out of the sector networks I am involved in, including ALT North West England Members’ Group, the Generative AI Network, Heads of eLearning Forum, and others. These spaces are intentionally created, usually around a special interest or shared feature (location, role or challenge). In some cases, they run webinars for teams to learn from. I can heartily recommend volunteering to present a project at these webinars – such a good way to get external feedback. 

Here are some sector networks and special interest groups that you might be interested in joining: Anti-racism and Learning Technology SIG, Digital Accessibility SIG, ELESIG or Digital Assessment SIG (full list of other SIGs available here); Generative AI Network; Ucisa’s Digital Education Group. It might also be valuable to join some jiscmail listservs, which will give you an insight into some particularly active communities of practice. 

The power of collaboration to bring about meaningful change 

Aside from feeling the warm-fuzzy of community all around you, there are some significant potential benefits to developing your network across the sector. The power of these groups is you will meet people who may be future collaborative partners on exciting projects. These might include funded opportunities (e.g. the QAA Collaborative Development Fund), research, or sector-wide evaluation efforts that help us benchmark our activities, improve our services, and strive for better student experiences with learning technology.  

In some cases, these collaborative relationships can be almost therapeutic – all of us experience the similar start of term stress, or assessment week chaos, or the challenge of a tool behaving in an unexpected way. The vent sessions can be just as important as webinars to keep one another encouraged and moving in the right direction. Perspective is easier to find when you aren’t staring into a chaotic inbox. 

For a digital education leader, sector benchmarking that arises from this kind of collaborative sharing can provide leverage and negotiating power for internal change. While it won’t magically grow budgets, it provides context to senior leadership for impact and efficiency of your own team. It can also help you identify excellent practices in your home context, that you might be taking for granted. I love hearing about colleagues’ innovations where they may not realise how groundbreaking their work actually is – it’s a chance to encourage them to shout about their success, and to set an example for the rest of us. 

Without meaning to be cheesy about it, the ALT community and the broader sector network I am part of has been one of the best aspects of my career so far. I look forward to joining you all at ALTc in a few weeks’ time to share success, hold each other through the challenging times, and celebrate the power of sector networks to make meaningful change. 

ALT’s Annual Conference is one of the UK’s largest conferences for learning technology and digital education professionals. The conference provides a valuable and practical forum for practitioners, researchers, managers and policy-makers from education and industry to solve problems, explore, reflect, influence and learn.

ALTC25 will take place in Glasgow on 23 and 24 October 2025.  Register closes 20 October 2025.

In October 2025, the ALT Annual Conference returns to Scotland for the first time since 2019.

 

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ALTC25 KEYNOTES REVEALED

 

The countdown is on, ALTC25 [4] is just around the corner, and we’re
thrilled to unveil our keynote line-up for the conference on 23–24
October 2025. These sessions bring together bold thinkers and changemakers
in education, technology, inclusion, and leadership, and they promise to
challenge, inspire, and energise. [...]

The countdown is on, ALTC25 is just around the corner, and we’re thrilled to unveil our keynote line-up for the conference on 23–24 October 2025.

Person-centred care (PCC) has become an integral part of health education with many incorporating this into curricula (McCormack et al., 2022). However, PCC can require whole scale revisions of programmes of study, which can lead to difficulties in time and navigating quality processes (Moore et al., 2023). In the UK, continued workforce shortages have led to pressure on health care educators to increase student numbers (NHS England, 2023). This has exacerbated challenges with learning spaces and equipment availability (Powers, 2020) often leading to the introduction of small-scale interventions to increase coverage of PCC without whole scale changes. Digital technology offers potential solutions to these challenges with increasing numbers in health education turning to these approaches (Knudsen Oddvang et al., 2021; Liao et al., 2022).

This article sought to explore the impact of one such small-scale digital toolkit on student confidence and awareness of PCC. Although limited in nature, results indicated positive changes in confidence levels related to PCC overall with a mixed picture when looking at specific aspects. The digital toolkit helped to facilitate discussion related to delivering of PCC and overall provided students with easy access to these resources. A similar intervention may be used for the education of a variety of health care professionals and in support of interprofessional learning (Malone et al., 2022).

Phil Vincent, Co-Chair of the ALT Independent Consultancy & Career Pathways SIG

Q: What do you do?
I’m Head of Digital Education Enhancement & Design in the Digital Education Service at the University of Leeds. I lead cross-institutional work to support the development and delivery of inclusive, accessible, and engaging blended and online learning for our students and researchers. My role sits at the intersection of learning design, strategic leadership, staff development, and digital education enhancement.

Q: Which sectors or audiences do you support?
Primarily, I work within UK higher education, supporting staff and students across all faculties. Increasingly, my work also connects with researchers, professional learners, and wider community-based learners, particularly through our involvement in lifelong learning and short course development.

Q: How do you usually refer to yourself – e.g. Learning Technologist, Learning Designer, Instructional Designer, etc.?
That’s a great question, and one that comes up often! I tend to describe myself as a digital education leader, but I’ve worked closely with (and been) learning technologists, learning designers, academic developers, and everything in between. The diversity of roles and titles in our field can be both a strength and a source of confusion, something that came up strongly in the recent Padlet discussion during our SIG Unconference. It’s one of the reasons I’m so invested in clearer pathways and shared language around career progression in this space.

Q: You’re not a consultant, so what’s your connection to the consultancy world?
That’s right, I’m not an independent consultant myself. However, I collaborate with consultants and freelancers on digital projects and transformation initiatives. I also support in-house colleagues to explore consultancy-style approaches to their work, particularly as part of our growing focus on portfolio careers and professional agency. I see enormous value in recognising the diverse ways people contribute to the sector, whether through permanent roles, freelance projects, or hybrid pathways.

Q: What attracted you to this SIG?
Career progression in digital education has always been a core interest of mine. At Leeds, I’ve led the transformation of our Digital Education Enhancement team into a more strategically aligned, values-led team. As part of that, I’m now developing a Digital Education Attributes Framework to support staff CPD, career mapping, and clearer role identity across the Digital Education Service. This SIG is a brilliant opportunity to connect with others thinking about the same challenges, whether from inside institutions or as independent professionals. I’m excited to be part of a space that can help shape and advocate for the future of digital education careers.Q: Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m particularly interested in the tensions (and possibilities) between institutional structures and independent practice, and in how we can foster more transparent, equitable career pathways for everyone in our field. I’d love to hear from others, consultants or otherwise, who are working on similar frameworks or grappling with the same questions.

Our 2025 Annual General Meeting will be held online at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, 19 November 2025. 

Our 2025 Annual General Meeting will be held online at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, 19 November 2025. 

To enable more members to attend from across the UK and beyond, we are moving the AGM online this year. All Members are encouraged to attend, and the AGM is also open to guests and observers.  Please register in advance to confirm your attendance. Registrations will remain open until 19 November 2025 for observers.

The AGM will run in Zoom. If you have not used Zoom before, it may be helpful to consult our webinar FAQs. 

In accordance with the ALT Constitution adopted in 2019, the business of the Annual General Meeting will include approval of accounts and annual report, appointment of Trustees and decisions on any resolutions. 

The Agenda for the AGM will be issued at least two weeks prior to the meeting. All papers for the AGM and related information will be published online. We are delighted to announce that there will be a guest speaker joining us. 

The quorum for the AGM is twenty-five members of at least 12 months’ standing. Individual and Certified members and the representatives of organisational, partner or sponsoring members have one vote each (Associate Members are not eligible to vote).

Deadline for resolutions

Any resolutions for consideration at the AGM, should be marked “AGM” and arrive by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, 22 October 2025. Items may be submitted to Susan Martin, Chief Executive, via ceo@alt.ac.uk.

By Beth Wolstenholme

Leadership at any level in education can be both rewarding and challenging. For a Programme Manager (PM) overseeing Personal Development, Behaviour and Attitudes (PDBA), juggling the workload of supporting student wellbeing, GCSE resits, teaching PSHE, safeguarding and managing a team can be demanding. So, how do PDBA PMs stay motivated and carry on during times of demotivation? 

Why This Matters 

Motivation impacts an individual, but the motivation of leaders can trickle down and impact their team. Research suggests that when leaders feel positive and motivated, they model effective behaviours, reduce stress within teams and can even help lower staff absence (Perryman & Calvert, 2020; Greiger & Pivovarova, 2018). I wanted to find out: 

1. What drives PDBA PMs to enter and stay in the profession? 
2. How does their leadership style shift depending on motivation levels? 
3. What strategies do they use to manage themselves and their teams during the highs and lows of the workplace? 
4. ​How does their state of mind affect staff morale and performance?​

The Approach 

Using a case study approach, allowed the exploration of rich insights rather than reducing them to statistics. PDBA PMs shared their real experiences in interviews and revealed their motivations, coping strategies and glimpses into their individual leadership styles. 

The Findings 

1. What drives PDBA PMs to enter and stay in the profession? Interestingly, despite having advanced to positions of leadership, the PMs all still held “making a difference”, improving the learner experience and supporting young people as their motives to work in education. One summarised, “That is your fundamental driving force behind all of this: It involves ensuring that the students receive the greatest education possible while under your care.” This suggests that even in managerial positions, their motivation is still to support the improvement of young people’s lives and use their positions to influence others to do the same. 
2. How does their leadership style shift depending on motivation levels? The leadership behaviour of the PMs seemed to follow a similar pattern; when motivated they were positive and creative, even “buzzing”. However, demotivation significantly dropped the energy they brought to the role. When experiencing demotivation, the PMs attended work but with the attitude of “let’s just get through the day” and saw them “not putting as much effort in”. 
3. What strategies do they use to manage themselves and their teams during the highs and lows of the workplace? When motivated, the PMs enjoyed getting to know their teams on a personal level, ensuring staff felt valued, were offered opportunities to be creative and autonomous, and supported in their roles. Demotivation saw them taking themselves away from their responsibilities, with the aim to reflect and re-focus. This took the form of an afternoon working from home, asking team members to “do your job to the best of your abilities,” and “working out what I need to do for the day … and just prioritise”. 
4. How does their state of mind affect staff morale and performance? All the PMs knew that their motivation levels had an impact on their team. They discussed how when they were motivated and energised, this feeling “passed on”. However, when demotivated, their teams would take on the workload of the PM in an effort to support them. While admirable, this then put extra pressure on the team. In both motivational states, it was acknowledged that leaders significantly shift the atmosphere in positive or negative ways. 

Image generated by ChatGPT What This Means 

This study highlighted the powerful role of trust, positivity and valuing staff in shaping workplace relationships and on a bigger scale, culture. For leaders in FE, this is an important reminder that motivation is contagious. Leadership strategies must adapt with morale and motivation levels, and professional relationships built on trust and respect can improve periods of demotivation. Overall, motivation matters for more than just the individual; it has a direct impact on the culture and atmosphere of the team. Leaders should be encouraged to be adaptive, self-aware and build positive relationships in order to better support both learners and staff. 

Call to action:

Connect with Beth Wolstenholme via LinkedIn

References 

Geiger, T., & Pivovarova, M. (2018). The effects of working conditions on teacher retention. Teachers and Teaching theory and practice, 24(6), 604-625. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1457524

Perryman, J., & Calvert, G. (2020). What Motivates People To Teach, And Why Do They Leave? Accountability, Performativity And Teacher Retention. British Journal of Educational Studies, 68(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2019.1589417 

Thanks for reading this AmplifyFE post! AmplifyFE is a strategic partnership between ALT and the Ufi VocTech Trust. AmplifyFE connects over 3000 professionals in Further Education and Vocational Education, providing a strong networking community to share, collaborate and learn. We connect innovators, industry and educators, therefore, AmplifyFE posts may include contributions with a commercial focus. AmplifyFE’s posts are included on the #altc blog to support networking, collaboration and sharing. For more information, please check AmplifyFE’s dedicated submission guidelines. The #altc blog submission guidelines detail who can post and the type of posts accepted to this blog.

We invite you to the “Training staff to use Digital Assessment Tools”  webinar from The Digital Assessment Special Interest Group on 18th November 14:00 - 15:30. 3 speakers will share the conversations that are taking place at their institutions around the challenges and opportunities of Training staff to use Digital Assessment Tools”, under such themes as:

• Examples of when you have trained individual or groups of staff members to use digital assessment tools
• Commentaries on training and development in digital assessment technologies
• Approaches to institutional/ departmental training for digital assessment/ digital assessment tools
• Approaches to training and development for the scaling of digital assessment tools from a trial to an institutional level of use.
• Case studies of digital assessment tool implementation and change
• Research on staff training for the use of digital assessment tools.

Following the presentations you are invited to stay to take part in an open discussion on this topic where you can share your thoughts, concerns and progress in the area of digital assessment creation.

This webinar is the second in a series that will explore the different parts of the assessment process including:

• Marking and feedback of digital assessments
• Digital exams
• Student voice and digital assessments

Calls for speakers for this session are still open, if you are interested in speaking at this event, please complete the Google form by 17 October 2025. 

Speakers will be announced shortly via the Digital Assessment SIG mailing list.

Join the mailing list to be kept updated on this and other SIG events.

AI is transforming education, but how do education technologists, students, educators feel about using it to mark assessments? Is this a revolution, or a step too far?

We’re conducting a short (under 5 mins!), totally anonymous survey to gauge attitudes. Whether you’re an education technologist, student, or educator, your opinion matters!

Why take part?

• Shape the conversation on AI in education
• Contribute to important research involving 13 UK universities
• Receive a report summarising the results of this research 

Take the survey here: https://lnkd.in/eYCJcx4c

Please share this post with your network. The more voices we hear, the better the insights!

 

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[Assocation for Learning Technology] [3]

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A UNIVERSITY RETHINKS STUDENT ENGAGEMENT?

Dear ALT

When the University of Leeds set out to transform how students interact in
class, they didn’t just tweak the system, they reimagined it.

On Wednesday, 8 October 2025, at 3:30 PM, join Farzana Latif and Stuart
Robinson from the University of Leeds for a behind-the-scenes look at how
they reshaped engagement across campus.  [...]

The pedagogically and ethically sound uses of AI within education are not straightforward. AI can save time and effort, and can find, manipulate and share content but these are both problematic, focussing learning on content rather than other ways of learning and failing to respond to the diversity, culture and agency of learners. This session will equip colleagues to appreciate these issues and argue for alternatives.

CPD Webinar Host: 

  John Traxler

Private universities are increasingly shaping the global higher education landscape, with distance education playing a key role in their expansion. While research has explored institutional and policy factors influencing private higher education, the role of student satisfaction within this framework remains underexamined. This study addresses this gap by analysing the success factors of private distance universities from a student perspective. Utilising text mining on over 10,000 student reviews from a public rating platform, a co-occurrence network analysis identified key themes linked to student satisfaction. The findings reveal that private distance universities successfully fulfil the core psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as outlined in Self-Determination Theory. Flexible study structures, accessible digital learning environments, and effective student support systems emerged as crucial factors. These insights align with international research, emphasising that distance education facilitates self-directed learning but requires robust institutional support to foster competence and engagement. This study contributes to the field of higher education and distance learning research by demonstrating the impact of technology-enhanced learning environments on student satisfaction. It calls for comparative studies between private and public distance universities, underscoring the need for longitudinal analyses of evolving student expectations and digital education models in a global context.

Subheading: 

​​​​​What happens when a university rethinks student engagement?

When the University of Leeds set out to transform how students interact in class, they didn’t just tweak the system, they reimagined it.

 

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DON’T MISS OUT. FINAL CALL TO JOIN US ON TUESDAY

There’s still time, but not much.

Join us this TUESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER for OPEN EDUCATION, AI, AND POPULISM:
REVISITED [4], a one-day online conference building on the energy and
insights of OER25 [5].

This is your last chance to register and be part of a timely, critical
conversation at the intersection of open education, generative AI, and the
politics of openness. [...]

When we first launched the ALT Members’ Digest, it was designed as a simple collation of community news, hence the name. But as ALT has grown, so too has the richness and diversity of our membership.