ALT Events

ARLT SIG presents 'In Conversation' with Matthew Johnson.
Date: Tuesday 8th April 2025
Time: 4pm-5:30pm GMT (to be inclusive of our overseas members)
Format: Online Event
 
This online event is hosted by the antiracism and learning technology special interest group (ARLT SIG) as part of a series on ‘Tackling racism in the Education and EdTech sector’. Matthew Johnson, the CEO of Race on the Agenda, one of Britain's leading anti-racist change drivers, joins us to explore how we can tackle systemic racism in the Education and EdTech sector. We explore little changes and big changes required to ensure racially equitable and just technology-enabled education. Subsequently, questions and comments will be welcomed from the audience.

About the Speaker
Matthew Johnson is an experienced policy and research professional who has worked at both the grassroots (community and third sector) and structural levels (governmental and multilateral). He has gained extensive experience working with NGOs, government and academic institutions both in the UK and internationally. This includes supporting capacity development in parastatal organisations in areas of monitoring and evaluation; while advising on innovative programmes in partnership with multilateral institutions such as UNICEF.

Reflection is widely used for professional recognition and also seen as valuable for professional development. Being able to reflect deeply requires skill to step back from what is occurring to consider beyond ‘what’ happened to why it happened and in Senge’s (2006) view develop the skills of a learning organisation. In this session we will share our experiences of Co-generative dialogues. In these structured conversations each participant has equal voice. Alternating between speaking, listening attentively to one another, and valuing diverse perspectives (Hsu, 2021). This type of reflection values the principles of equity, respect, and inclusion as foundational to sense making. We explore how these deeply reflective accounts come together in a democratic space softening the traditional hierarchies (Tobin, 2008). Working in groups, dyads or triads can foster collective responsibility for improvements (Martin, 2006). In this session, we will provide the opportunity to experience a co-generative dialogue to foster reflection that moves beyond what to why, and more importantly shape learning for the future.

CPD Webinar Host: 

Lynn Gribble

This is the third in a series of four sessions throughout the 2025/26 academic year. These are designed as open forums for colleagues to share and get feedback in the East England and East Midlands region. The sessions are very informal and everyone is welcome, if you live and/or work in the regions. Further details to follow: The exact topic and discussion format has been determined in the 21 January 2026 session. We'll conclude the sharing 4:50 (at the latest). Following that, we'll dedicate 5-10 minutes to setting the agenda for our July meeting. 

The topic is: What’s the top priority for you right now? This is an informal opportunity to share what you're currently working on, get feedback, seek collaborators, discuss any challenging issues, or report on anything you wish. Minimal preparation is required, as we aren't expecting any slides (unless you want to). Just think about what you want to talk about beforehand and any questions you want to ask others. We'll go around the room, and if multiple people are attending from the same institution, we'll address it on an institutional basis. The time allocated for sharing will be flexible, depending on the number of attendees and where the discussion is going. Any contributions who we aren't able to get to in the October session will be carried over to the following session in January. We'll conclude the sharing 4:50 (at the latest). Following that, we'll dedicate 5-10 minutes to setting the agenda for our January meeting. This agenda might focus on delving deeper into topics that arose during the October session, or it could introduce entirely new subjects for discussion.

Have you ever wondered how data science students approach learning analytics? In this session, we’ll explore the unique perspectives of postgraduate students who analysed the Open University Learning Analytics Dataset (OULAD) as part of a four-week innovation project.

What makes this work especially interesting is the combination of methods used to capture the students perspectives. Alongside human-led content analysis, we used AI tools like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Large Language Models (LLMs). This blend provided a richer, more nuanced understanding of how data science students interpret and engage with learning analytics.

Join us as we share what we learned from these students—about their analytical approaches, the themes they explored, and what all of this means for designing better learning analytics in higher education. It’s a conversation about how students see the role of data in their own learning journey and how their insights can shape the future of education.

CPD Webinar Host: 

Raghda Marai Zahran, Newcastle University 

This online conference picks up where OER25 left off, offering a chance to revisit key themes and continue the conversations that shaped this year’s event. Taking place on 16 September, the programme brings together practitioners, researchers and policy-makers from across sectors to explore what’s next for open education.

Themes from OER25, including equity and social justice, open practice during times of change, and the politics of openness in the age of AI, remain at the heart of this event. Whether you joined us at OER25 or are new to the community, this is an opportunity to reflect, share your work and connect with others working in open education.

The conference will be held entirely online, with a mix of live sessions, discussions and opportunities to engage with presenters and participants throughout the day. All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered attendees.

Tickets are available now. We look forward to welcoming you.

Webinar leader: Karishma Punwani

Many maths learners find it difficult to connect with abstract course content, and as a result, not only do they struggle to learn the material, but they can also become demotivated, anxious, and disengaged. Fortunately, learning technologies for maths make lessons much more "touchable", visual, and relevant, offering an effective means of engaging and motivating students, deepening their understanding of fundamental concepts, and reinforcing learning through practice.

In this session, we’ll explore some of the ways interactive maths technology can be used effectively in the classroom, from illuminating visualisations to interactive, learner-led activities that naturally foster investigation, collaboration, and discussion. Demonstrations will be done using Maple Learn, the online maths tool from Maplesoft, with examples taken from the A-Level and GCSE content collections, which conform to the AQA and Pearson exam specifications. These collections make it easy for educators to deliver engaging, interactive maths experiences to their learners through the use of customisable content created to meet the specific needs of their class.

Details to be announced shortly 

Join Jane Secker and Chris Morrison, who will be discussing copyright and audiovisual works with their collaborator and friend, Bart Meletti, who is working on his PhD at CREATe at the University of Glasgow. Together the three of them produced the Code of Fair Practice for Film Educators issued in 2023. We will catch up on where we are with audiovisual works and what the needs of the sector are as many of us rely increasingly on streaming platforms.

Details to be announced shortly. Save the date for the next ALT Online Conference, expanding on the theme discussed at OER25. 

The Sixth edition of Icepops (Icepops 2025) is happening – as another Pocket Edition (meaning on a slightly smaller, but no less inspiring or fun, scale). Icepops will take place at John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester on Tuesday 9th September and Wednesday 10th September 2025. The main conference will start mid morning on 9th September and include an evening social. The ALT CoOL SIG AGM will take place on the morning of Wednesday 10th September and we’ll be arranging tours of British Pop Archive at the University of Manchester.

Our confirmed keynote speaker is Monica Westin, Associate Director at Manchester Metropolitan University. The programme will be published in July 2025 and include lightning talks and a world cafe. 

Learn more.

Register here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cilipinformationliteracygroup/1699906

Theme: Making Digital Life Better for International Students

As international student populations continue to grow, so too does our responsibility to create more inclusive, supportive, and engaging digital learning experiences. This event explores how we can collectively improve the digital life of international students across the M25 region.

Join us online or face to face at the University of Stirling in the Jisc Interactive Classroom for our annual get-together. We'll hear updates from across the Scottish educator sector (ALT, Education Scotland, College Sector, Jisc, QAA Scotland), and there will be interactive sessions on blended learning, AI developments, and MOOCs and microcredentials. Those participating in person will get a demo of the Jisc learning lab and Stirling's approach to blended learning.

Join Constance Henry, a technology enhanced learning enthusiast, for a friendly and practical introduction to HeyZine flipbooks – a simple but effective way to bring your resources to life. This session will explore how flipbooks can be used across all ages and stages of education, from showcasing student work to creating interactive guides, handbooks, and learning materials. You'll see how easy it is to add videos, audio, links, and images, making your content more engaging and accessible. Whether you're supporting learners in the classroom, online, or in community settings, HeyZine offers a creative, user-friendly platform to enhance what you already do.

We are refreshing the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) East regional group, with a renewed focus is on building stronger regional connections. We are also collaborating with the East Midlands group to widen the opportunities for sharing and collaboration.

Our aim is to set up a regular series of collaborative online sessions. These sessions will provide a forum to discuss key issues, challenges, opportunities, and shared ambitions in technology-enhanced learning within our regional community.

This initial session is a crucial opportunity to gather interested individuals. We will discuss the direction and focus of the revitalised group, identify the most pressing needs and opportunities for our community, and begin building a supportive regional network. If you work (or live) in the East Midlands or East England we would be delighted if you would be involved. Please be prepared to bring any ideas for what you might like to see discussed in sessions, or how we might support each other going forward.