#ALTC Blog

ALTC25 Guest Post Joe Wilson

After years of campaigning to bring ALTC, or a related ALT event, to Glasgow, it’s finally happening in 2025. I nearly managed to host #OER21 at City of Glasgow College, but COVID had other plans. I’ve also long advocated for a more college-friendly time of year for the conference. This year, both goals have been realised. 

It’s genuinely exciting to see the programme coming to Glasgow at last. I’m hoping we’ll reach colleges and universities across the UK, with a strong Scottish contingent and a brilliant turnout overall. We’ve got plenty of fun things planned, and I’m thrilled to be co-chairing with Emily Nordham and Laura Milne. The programme is engaging, but I also hope you’ll take time to enjoy some of Glasgow’s other delights. (I’ll share a separate post soon with recommendations of things to experience and sample.) I’m biased, of course, but if you can, stay on after the conference and spend a weekend here. Glasgow is a UNESCO Learning City, and it’s well worth exploring. 

A Personal Journey with ALTC 

I think my first #altc was in 2000, and by 2001, thanks to a twist of fate, I found myself on the organising committee for the conference at Edinburgh University.  Since then, I’ve tried to attend either the full conference or at least one policy forum or special interest group event each year. ALTC is a brilliant space for professional development and networking, and ALT’s work through CMALT and other initiatives has never been more relevant.  

In the early 2000s, we were talking about online assessment systems and the rise of virtual learning environments. By the mid-2000s, it was all about BYOD and MOOCs. The sessions and discussions at ALTC are always cutting-edge, sometimes positively contentious, and always practical. I know this year’s themes reflect that spirit. 

Top Tips for ALTC 2025 

• Step out of your comfort zone. Attend a few sessions on unfamiliar topics, you’ll be surprised what you learn. 

• Network like mad. Someone in the room has already solved your next challenge. ALT is a broad clan of technical problem solvers and academic thinkers  

• Pack smart. It’s Glasgow in October: bring your dancing shoes and some warm waterproof gear! 

I’ll be posting soon with ideas for places to visit and things to experience while you’re here. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned ALTC attendee, I hope you’ll find time to enjoy everything Glasgow has to offer. 

See you in October! 

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.  Early bird bookings end Friday, 15 August. Register for ALTC25 now. 

The Digital Assessment SIG has thrived since its birth at the start of the 2024/2025 academic year. We now have 128 subscribers to the Jisc mail and have delivered 3 successful webinars with 10 presentations by 13 excellent speakers. For those of you interested in YouTube statistics our most watched webinar, Generative AI and Digital Assessments has so far gained 338 views and still counting.

Given the success of these webinars, next year we will explore the following topics, along with growing two subgroups in AI and Accessibility of Assessment:

• Staff Development for using Digital Assessment Tools, October 2025
• Digital Exams and Paper Script Scanning, December 2025
• Marking and Feedback of Digital Assessments, February 2026
• Digital Assessments and Student Voice, April 2026

Over the summer we will be sharing two blog posts where we invite you to step inside the inner workings of the SIG with a view from our SIG Co-Chairs and officers on the activities we have completed this year and a description of their own experiences as members of the Digital Assessment SIG. Starting with our co-chairs.

From our Co-Chairs Gemma Westwood – Senior Digital Education Developer, University of Birmingham

I co-created the digital assessment SIG with Alison and Helen, our other co-chairs following a year-long project at the University of Birmingham where we completed a large-scale trial of two digital assessment tools. During this process we made many discoveries that did not seem to fit into other existing special interest groups. We longed for a place to discuss our findings, thoughts and experiences with the wider sector as well as to hear the experiences of others in terms of digital assessment, outside of the networks facilitated by tool providers or hopeful open sector information requests. Discussions with others in this situation made us realise that this space was needed elsewhere too.

My favourite part of this year is how the SIG has grown from being a loose idea of a discussion forum into a well formulated series of webinars and blogs that have tackled some of the pressing topics in this area. I cannot praise the dedication of the SIG officers enough for making this happen, for the members of the SIG for supporting these initiatives and for their individual contributions this past year. I am proud of how the SIG has begun to support research in specific areas, with SIG officers coordinating subgroups on generative AI in summative assessments and working together with the accessibility SIG to set up a task and finish group to provide support and guidance to the sector on procuring accessible digital assessment tools.

As a Co-Chair I have had so many opportunities from being a part of this SIG that I have not had before. For example, our first webinar was the first time I acted in the role of webinar host (rather than as a presenter), where I learned rapidly that timing for a host is key. I have also had the opportunity to represent the SIG on the EAA podcast Back to the future: a new review of the JISC 2020 report on the five principles for the future of assessment which was also my first experience of being on a panel discussion.

In terms of next year I am hoping that we can expand the reach of the SIG, working more closely with fellow SIGs on mutual interest projects and to begin to share the outputs of these in an open format. As well as to continue to expand both the webinars and the blog, with a hope to bring people together in person to highlight what is happening in digital assessment across the sector.

Helen Greetham – Digital Education Developer, University of Birmingham

When my colleagues Alison, Gemma and I were discussing routes to share and discuss our work and the possibility of creating an ALT subgroup was suggested, I wasn’t sure what to expect! I’ve generally been a bit of a passive ALT member, appreciating the excellent journal articles and news items it sent my way, but never sure how to become more involved in the organisation. It’s been great to have this chance to dive in and contribute to sector-wide discussions.

Over the past few years I’ve been submitting a lot of conference papers and session proposals to all kinds of events, and one of my favourite parts of being an officer is the insight I’ve gained from seeing this process from the other side. It’s an enjoyable challenge to sort through all of the wonderful submissions we get for our monthly webinars, trying to select talks which work together and create a larger narrative in conjunction with each other. These events always prompt some really useful, practical discussions.

In the next year I’m hoping to meet face-to-face colleagues who I’ve only ever known in virtual spaces at the ALT conference. I’m currently working on the opening stages of a project with the Accessibility SIG to create a task and finish group to provide sector-wide guidance for procuring accessible digital assessment tools, and I’ll be excited to see what comes from that over the next academic year! 

Alison Gibson – Head of Digital Education, University of Birmingham

In 2024-25 the University of Birmingham digital assessment team ran a proof-of-concept project, where we evaluated different assessment tools to see which requirements they met. I was determined from the beginning of that project to ensure we were engaging across the sector, as we were in the privileged position of having dedicated time and resource to complete digital tool evaluations. 

What we found, as we did the rounds of various conferences, was an overwhelming desire from colleagues at other institutions to hear about and share experiences of digital assessment tools, away from the influence of vendors. And so, the idea of the Digital Assessment SIG was born: a place to share good and bad assessment experiences, strategic goals and projects, find commonality amidst the noise of EdTech, and have discussions that don’t dissolve into sales pitches.

While I’m now less actively involved than at the beginning, I’m delighted to see the SIG growing in membership and engagement. Working siloed away in our institutions can become habitual, but we have so much to learn from each other, and the events that the co-chairs and members of this SIG are arranging are the perfect way to do that. 

By Digital Assessments SIG

On the 20th of May we held our last webinar of this academic year. Thank you to our presenters for sharing your work. If you missed it and would like to watch any of our presenters you can access their individual recordings on youtube:

• Denny Roberts and Lisa Scott: Transforming digital Examinations. A Collaborative Approach at Heriot-Watt University
• Sumayyah Islam and Laurence Horstman: Enhancing MCQ Exam Experience at LSE
• Dr Lee Parkin: Using Automation to manage administration surrounding third year research projects
• Zhiqiong Chen and Yihua Huang: Transitioning Language Exams to Online Delivery in Higher Education 

Transforming Digital Examinations: A Collaborative Approach at Heriot-Watt University

This presentation The transition to digital examinations at Heriot-Watt University, particularly during the return to campus, and the significant challenges it presented. Denny and Lisa shared that to tackle these challenges the Virtual Exam Centre (VEC) was founded, an international interdisciplinary group comprising over 43 members from diverse departments, this dynamic team leveraged agile methodologies, iterative process development, reflective practices, and technologies to create a cohesive and efficient support system for digital examinations.
Their approach centres on fostering collaboration and communication among team members, ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned, informed and removing single points of failure. By adopting agile practices, the team has been able to respond swiftly to emerging issues and continuously improve processes. Iterative development has allowed for the refinement of strategies based on feedback and real-world experiences while reflective practices ensured that lessons learned from each examination cycle were applied to future iterations.
They shared how technology played a pivotal role in bringing together the geographically dispersed team and managing digital examinations. The team used various digital assessment platforms, such as Canvas Quizzes, Mobius, STACK, Gradescope, and Respondus LockDown Browser, to streamline the examination process, enhance academic integrity, and improve accessibility. Additionally, digital collaboration platforms helped to facilitate seamless communication and coordination among team members across global campuses, ensuring a unified approach.
This presentation detailed the journey of implementing digital examinations at Heriot-Watt University highlighting the challenges faced, the innovative strategies employed and the successes achieved. It will provide insights into the formation and operation of VEC, showcasing how interdisciplinary collaboration, agile methodologies and technology can drive positive change in educational support systems.

Piloting Digital MCQ Examinations at LSE

Sumayyah Islam and Laurence Horstman presented on the ‘e-Exams’ MCQ pilot which represents a step forward in the digital transformation of assessment at LSE. Their presentation shares insights from the pilot, which runs from July 2024 to May 2025, and discusses benefits and challenges of implementing MCQs within LSE’s ‘Digiexam’ exams platform. Despite successes using Digiexam as a ‘digital answer booklet’ to deliver essay-based exams, the potential for digitising MCQ exams using automatic marking was previously underexplored at LSE. The pilot sought to build on existing MCQ features, allowing students to view questions and answer alternatives directly on-screen.

Automated Mark Agreements for 3rd Year Research Projects

This webinar focused on how automation software such as Power Automate can be integrated with multiple processes to reduce administration burden, speed up the marking process, and how these processes can potentially be shared across other modules and faculties to ease marking and feedback surrounding digital assessments.

Transitioning Language Exams to Online Delivery in Higher Education

This presentation reviews the end-to-end transition of traditional paper-based language assessments to fully digital formats within a higher education language course. It focuses on administrative planning, implementation, and lessons learned, with an emphasis on improving efficiency, accessibility, and the student experience – while maintaining academic integrity. This presentation offers practical insights and forward-thinking strategies for institutions aiming to transition language or discipline-based assessments to online platforms. It highlights the importance of cross-team collaboration, phased implementation, and stable support structures to ensure a successful and sustainable digital transformation.

by Matthew Ruddle

In the 24/25 academic year I made the decision to write weekly teaching reflections, which I published publicly on LinkedIn. Here I explain my reasoning behind this, and the impact it had.

Why reflect?

Teaching is challenging – ask any teacher, and they will tell you! This past year was particularly challenging, because I was assigned to work exclusively with our alternative provision faculty.

This meant that I was teaching GCSE English Language to groups of pre16 and post16 students, most of whom had high learning needs, were recovering from trauma, experienced high anxiety, displayed challenging behaviours, and had been failed by mainstream schools in a myriad of different ways. To help them to re-engage in education (and specifically GCSE English) I had to re-think my approach to teaching, which meant ripping up the resits rule book and starting again.

I already knew from previous experience that working with high-needs learners in alternative provision is often stressful, so I needed to find a way to help me cope with this.

I also knew that if I didn’t take the time at the end of each week to sit and think (to really think) about the successes and the struggles, then I would end up drowning in a pool of negativity. No. More than just a pool. A hungry, swirling whirlpool threatened to pull me under every Friday. Writing a teaching reflection was the lifejacket that kept me afloat.

Why reflect publicly?

Reflecting is something that most teachers do all the time: we are constantly thinking about our students’ progress, evaluating the impact of a lesson or a learning activity, and pondering how to improve things next time. I knew that if I reflected privately (perhaps in a notebook or journal) then I would be less likely to continue with it, so I made the decision to post these weekly reflections on LinkedIn, where anyone could read them, to make me more accountable.

What do I mean by “beyond the looking glass”?

Now, we all know that social media is fraught with difficulty. In many ways, social media is a place where we often present a distorted version of ourselves: where we look better, we sound more productive, we live more exciting and more perfect lives. Social media is a like a warped mirror: it reflects back to us a version of someone who doesn’t really exist, but we still share this strange image with the online world, where we strive to be “the fairest of them all”.

Although the word “reflection” reminds most people of looking into a mirror, the act of reflection is more about gazing deeply inside of yourself. It is not about crafting a more attractive version of who you want the world to see; it is about trying to discover truths.

Why share teaching reflections?

Rather than thinking of a reflection as a mirror image, I think that the act of reflecting is more like the opening of a window; through sharing my teaching reflections each week, I was not only offering a glimpse inside my classroom, but I was also looking outside, beyond my four walls, at the larger landscape.

Posting my reflections on LinkedIn created the possibility of connecting with other FE professionals across the UK. I was not seeking praise or “likes” or any sort of hollow flattery: I was trying to share my true experiences of teaching in FE, warts and all, and I didn’t really know what the reactions would be (or even if anyone would want to read them).

I made the effort to write truthfully about the struggles as well as the successes in my classroom. I wanted to give an accurate impression of what it is like teaching on the frontline, every week, and looking back at those reflections now, I am proud of my openness and honesty. More than a few people have told me that my reflections were “raw”. This reassures me that my writing has been frank and realistic, which was my goal all along.

Afterall, what’s the point of writing a teaching reflection if it isn’t true? It may not always present the “ideal” version of who we are, but it does present an honest snapshot of how things were that week, and opens a window into our pedagogy.

How did this impact me?

I cannot express enough how much writing these reflections helped my mental health. There were times when I was so tired, stressed, and was second-guessing my teaching, that the simple act of thinking and writing about my experiences lightened my load. I was subsequently reassured when other teachers told me that my experiences resonated with them. Knowing that I was not alone in my experiences helped me to feel connected to the wider FE community, far beyond the confines of my own desk, classroom, or college.

What’s my hot take?

Yes, sharing your honest teaching reflections online can be scary (it definitely made me feel vulnerable) but sharing our experiences in this way establishes the context for so many possibilities: for conversations, for connections, and for deeper contemplation about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we can make it better. Reflections really do open a window to the wider world.

Call to action:

Connect with Matthew Ruddle via LinkedIn

If you want to learn more about LinkedIn and how you can leverage the platform to make connections, do sign up to our AmplifyFE webinar on Friday 14 Nov 2025 from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM AmplifyFE Community Space Workshop: How to master LinkedIn to achieve your goals

Thomas Pocklington Trust’s (TPT) latest ‘Give Me Access to College; report reveals that blind and partially sighted students continue to face significant barriers in accessing specialist vision impairment (VI) support in post 16 education. Despite efforts to reform education for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Further Education (FE) continues to be overlooked, and unacceptable gaps remain limiting opportunities for young people with a VI.

This report revisits our earlier findings, ‘Give Me Access to College’ and highlights the urgent need for targeted reforms. We call on the Government to ensure that blind and partially sighted young people are included in the SEND improvement agenda, with consistent support, training, and access to a full range of post 16 pathways.

We request your support and encourage you to take action by sending a letter to your MP, you can help encourage positive change for blind and partially sighted young people. It’s quick, simple and it can lead to real change.

Read our full report here, and send the letter to your MP

You can also read our LinkedIn blog  written by Krupali Parshotam, sharing her experiences of college as a blind and partially sighted person.

If you would like to learn more about our work, then sign up for our Education Newsletter. Or if you would like a more in-depth conversation, contact us at educationpolicy@pocklington.org.uk

As we do every year, we are collecting links to blog posts and resources for and about the conference. If you’d like to add yours, please share it on social media with #OER25 or email enquiries@alt.ac.uk.

We also encourage you to share your conference feedback.

• Blog: OER25 – Stepping back and speaking truth to power, Lorna Campbell
• Blog: From OER25 to Reclaim Open 25, Maren Deepwell
• Howard Scott’s powerful open access paper from his session, “Sumud as Connected Learning: Towards a Collective Digital Commons in Palestine”. Shared by Kate Malloy
•  Resources from workshop, ‘Fighting the good fight – go rogue or go home’. Shared by Kate Malloy
• 
  

Join us at this year’s ALT Annual Conference in Glasgow, taking place on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October, will explore the following theme: ‘Stronger Foundations, Broader Horizons’. 
In a time marked by uncertainty, complexity, and rapid digital change, purposeful action matters more than ever. ALTC25 will provide a space to reflect on how robust digital foundations can empower more expansive, inclusive, and imaginative possibilities for education. We hope to see you there.

For this month’s blog profile, we are excited to introduce the chair of the revived ALT Wales/Cymru member group, Elizabeth Jones. She shares the group’s plans and focus for the coming year, providing insights into what members can look forward to from this dynamic and forward-thinking group.

How has being a member of ALT impacted your career?

In lots of ways, big and small. For example, just being on the ALT Jisc mailing list is a regular source of information, ideas, and news from across the sector. I’ve also been able to attend the ALT Conference a few times, which was truly amazing when I was new to the sector and got to see the range of work being done by colleagues at other institutions and get feedback on my own work. Most significantly I think was getting my CMALT. Once that was on my CV, I felt so much more confident applying for roles as it evidenced my experience really strongly. 

What do you find exciting about working with learning technology?

I love that it’s such a dynamic field, there’s always more to learn about. 

What inspired you to get involved with the ALT Wales/Cymru member group? How can other members get involved? 

I was inspired by a chat with a colleague from another Welsh HE institution when we were both at a conference. Our universities use different VLEs and other tools but we faced so many of the same issues. We wanted a forum where we could discuss them and wondered what had become of the old ALT Wales/Cymru/Cymru group. I contacted ALT to ask about it and coincidentally they were about to put out an open call for people interested in restarting it. The rest, as they say, is history! 

If you’re interested in joining the group and to keep up to date with the news and events, subscribe to the ALT-Wales mailing list. Our first coffee and chat meeting will be on Thursday 3 July, 10 – 11 AM, where we will be exploring AI and Welsh language.

What are the key plans and initiatives that ALT Wales/Cymru will focus on this year?
This year, we’re focusing on getting the word out that we’re back and then finding out what issues and themes are important to our members. We want the group to support members working in Wales/Cymru as we’re often governed by different regulations and educational frameworks than colleagues in England. Obviously the Welsh Language is a big one! How various tools work in a bilingual environment and what we need to do to ensure compliance and promote the use of Welsh. 

Can you share a memorable moment or achievement during your time as an ALT Member?
Presenting at ALT for the first time many years ago. I was so nervous to present at such a big conference but everyone was super supportive and interested in what we were saying. I now love encouraging new members of my team to do the same and being able to offer them that opportunity is one of my favourite things. 

What was the last thing you read or watched?

I’ve just finished the new series of Severance. I thoroughly recommend it. 

If you were on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would take?

As many books as I can carry! 

We hope you enjoyed hearing from the chair of the ALT Wales/Cymru member group, Elizabeth Jones. If she has inspired you to get involved with ALT Wales/Cymru, join the group and keep up to date with the news and events, subscribe to the ALT-Wales/Cymru mailing list. If you would like to get involved in the organisation of the Group and its activities, let us know by expressing an interest.

Future profiles will feature colleagues involved with Special Interest and Members Groups, CMALT holders, ALT Members, Trustees, assessors, apprentices and ALT staff. If you are a current member of ALT and would be interested in featuring in an upcoming post or want to recommend someone members would be interested in hearing from, please contact us at blog@alt.ac.uk.

Can you talk briefly about your journey, from starting the Access to Higher Education Diploma to writing The Access to Higher Education Handbook?

I started the Access to HE Diploma when I was in my 20s after four failed attempts at university! After I finished, I went back to university (again!) and (finally!) completed an undergraduate degree – this time in Biochemistry. Fast forward a little and I was given an opportunity to return to the FE college where I’d studied my Access to HE Diploma and become a lecturer on the very same programme – I leapt at the chance! Although I enjoyed teaching, I was keen to explore new projects and decided to set up my own independent Access to HE provision. Throughout my experience as a student, lecturer and provider, I realised that there was something missing – a core resource that guided learners through the fundamentals of the Access to HE Diploma which was written with the adult learner at the front and centre. I reflected on how much a resource like that would have helped me, so I began to draft a plan and used it as a framework to create The Access to Higher Education Handbook!

In your view, why is the Access to Higher Education Diploma so important?

The Access to HE Diploma is so important because without it, so many people might never get the opportunities it can present – myself included. There is no other route for adult learners to progress into higher education that is structured, funded, and delivered in this way. With the Access to HE Diploma, adults can study a nationally recognised and accredited Level 3 programme across as little as one year, that can meet entry criteria for a range of hundreds, if not thousands, of HE programmes across the UK – including apprenticeships! Importantly, the cost of the Access to HE Diploma is often covered by the Advanced Learner Loan which means that if eligible, Access to HE learners will have their fees waivered should they go on to complete an undergraduate degree level programme. This means that for many students, they can facilitate this important step in their journey without any financial burden which is hugely important. 

How did your experience as an Access to HE student influence your writing?

I went into my Access to HE Diploma with the right attitude, a half decent set of academic skills, and the commitment to doing as well as I could, yet there were many aspects of the programme that I struggled with. My tutors were brilliant, but when studying full time, the course goes by very quickly. Plus, I found it challenging at times as I was working nights then going to college in the day and it’s fair to say that sometimes I was present in body but not in mind as I just wanted to be home and having a sleep!! It might sound a bit silly, but after going from a 10 hour night shift straight into a full day college, sometimes even the most basic of questions were popping up such as “where do I find the assessment criteria again…?” and whilst I recognised that it was just sheer tiredness, I felt silly taking up the tutors time by asking. I thought then, if there was a resource that could consolidate those core features (and of course, plenty more!) that students could refer to any time of day to fit around their commitments, where the information can be a reminder for all those key components of the programme whilst also supporting skill development, then that would be really helpful.

How did the feedback you received from AVAs, providers and QAA, who have been supportive of the book, help shape its content and direction?

Firstly, I want to acknowledge how appreciative I am that QAA and AVAs have shown support for this book. I’d say the biggest influence on the book has been from the AVAs and has been having them educate me on the nuances of how they manage Access to HE Diplomas which, although standardised to a point via the QAA regulation, differs slightly between them all in the day-to-day running of things. It was important to get as many of those unique elements in to ensure that as many learners as possible might benefit from the book’s content. 

How can instructors use The Access to Higher Education Handbook to support their teaching?

By consolidating all the core information into one place, I hope that the book serves to answer a lot of the common questions that are asked by Access to HE students such as “yes, but what does it look like to get a Distinction?” and “but what overall grade will I get at the end of this though?!”! The book includes lots of activities, tasks, case studies, templates, questions and checklists for students to help practice their skills too, and I hope these elements support teaching by reducing the time needed to spend searching for or creating resources. Further, the book references recent changes that QAA have made (i.e., the introduction of grading standards) so I also hope that this book can help practitioners navigate this change in some way too. Lastly, I hope that this book can support those who perhaps are unfamiliar with Access to HE and help them to fully understand the nuances of such an elegantly complex qualification.

How does The Access to Higher Education Handbook support students?

The way in which this book has been written means that it is suitable for learners who are thinking about studying Access to HE, those who are already enrolled on Access to HE, and actually, those who are studying any other Level 3 qualification! Primarily though, this book is a guide for students progressing through their Access to HE Diploma from day one, and is written to be a helping hand through writing assignments, navigating key academic skills, planning for what learners want their next steps into HE to look like, as well as how to get there. The book offers opportunities to engage in skill development using the activities and tasks, it gives learners a place to write and reflect about their experience, and it provides information to help them understand the course too. The book is written as part text book and part journal – I would love for students to scribble all over it, highlight it, make it unique, and make it into something meaningful to them! Whilst of course targeted towards students of Access to HE as its primary audience, Chapters 3-8 all explore standalone study skills such as referencing, writing, and digital skills which non-Access to HE learners might also find useful too. The book is dip-in-dip-out so you aren’t required to read it cover to cover to get the most out of it either making it a perfect companion! 

What do you hope this book will achieve? What do you hope students take from the book?

All I hope for this book, is that people find it helps them. I hope that students find this book has the answers to their most basic questions about Access to HE, whilst empowering them to navigate their Diploma with confidence. I hope that Access to HE practitioners find this book supportive, and that it helps to lighten the load a little. I also hope that those in HE who perhaps aren’t as confident in their knowledge about Access to HE find this an educational resource too. If this book can support even just one learner to achieve their potential on their Access to HE Diploma, and in turn get them one step closer to achieving their career ambitions, then this book will have been a roaring success for me! Though of course it would be nice to help more than one!

To give us a taste of the practical advice in The Access to Higher Education Handbook, what are your top tips for students starting their Access to HE Diploma this autumn?

Firstly, don’t overestimate the time you have for the course (particularly if you’re studying over just one year because it will pass by very quickly!) and don’t underestimate how long it will take to complete your assignments to the best standard you can. My top tip for navigating this is to make a realistic timetable for the year. Get a calendar or a diary and block out how many hours you are expected to study each week and when/if you are expected to be present for any lessons that you might have (as well as any travel time to get there/back). Then, go back through put in the assignment deadlines throughout the year, then factor in any non-study commitments such as work, holidays or special occasions where you might not be studying and write in those too. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, factor in contingency time. Don’t fill up every hour of the day with unrealistic expectations of what you think you could/should do – plan in free time so if something crops up, you have wiggle-room in your timetable to fit those unexpected events in. You will see very quickly, particularly those of you at a provider that follows a term-time pattern, that you might not have as many hours in the week as you might think but taking this bird-eye-view approach to the academic year and making a realistic plan will ensure you are aware and able to manage your time as effectively as possible. And remember, if you are struggling with getting things done, be sure to talk to your tutor (or a member of a pastoral support team if you have access to one) and they will be able to support you. 

Check out the recently published The Access to Higher Education Handbook by Zoë Chapman. 

Free inspection copies of the book are available for FE teaching staff and Access Validating Agency providers.

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.

by Katie Stripe, Imperial College London.

This post is the fifth of a series based on the Animated Inclusive Personae (AIP) project. The posts so far have covered generating images, the language we use, representation of disability, and the deployment of these characters in specific outputs. One question that has come up numerous times when speaking about this project is about how these characters are created, where the stories come from, and how much input others have. It is a difficult question to answer because there is no defined process on how to create these characters. There are structural components, defined by the project, which give a level of uniformity to the output. These are based on UX design principles like those found on the Adobe Blog: Putting Personas to Work in UX Design. However as each persona, or set of personae, is made in collaboration with, and to meet the specific needs of, a certain department or project,it is necessary that the way they are developed will change, and the people that provide input will differ. Despite the varying circumstances, it is possible to split these into broad categories, as with previous posts I will describe these different scenarios using the personae characters.

The original characters that sparked this project were developed for an online, not-for-credit, self-enrolment course for postgraduate students. These original characters had a very simple role in the course which was to provide cohort specific examples. Christina (drawn by Ksenia) was one of the first characters to be created.

Christina Jai
Preferred name: Chris
Details: 24, from Medway, UK
Imperial Course: MSc Genes, Drugs and Stem Cells
Optional Modules: Attributes and Aspirations
Previous Education: BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, 1st
Tags: Home, PGT, FoM, LGBTQ+

She was developed as a user experience personae to help us identify the needs and motivations of those who would be taking the Attributes and Aspirations (AA) short course. This design session surfaced three archetypal students that we needed to cater for when designing our course. In a normal user design process, we would have used this as a resource on which to build out content. Instead, we decided to integrate these students into the course as pseudo peers, as a narrative instrument, and as a way of providing exemplar content. We created a fourth personae at this stage to make a deliberate effort at gender balance and this is what sparked the journey into Inclusive Personae.

As part of the AA course, we developed exemplar CVs for our students and were able to give them certain characteristics like religion, mental health problems, or in Chris’s case involvement in an LGBTQ+ society. Her main role as a character was to present exemplar content. However the subtle inclusion of her links to the LGBTQ+ community were enough to give the character some diversity and to show the community that we had considered them. The majority of her story, however, was around her career planning and this information we gained from subject experts in the careers service. Staff have a much broader knowledge of students’ motivations and frustrations from years of working with different cohorts. This makes them an extremely valuable human data source.

The second example of these personae is one which addresses common issues for a certain cohort of students. For example, Karl (drawn by Kate).

Karl Hassan
Details: 22 from Belfast, with Syrian parents
Imperial Course: BSc Biological Sciences
Optional Modules: Imperial Award
Job: Bike courier
Tags: Home, UG, Muslim

He was developed to help share information on issues specific to Muslim students. Much like the characters in post three who all share aspects of disability were created with the institution’s Disability Advisory Service, Karl was developed with our student service desk and student finance teams to help share information on the challenges that Muslim students face particularly around finance and student loans.

This story, again, comes from a human database of knowledge around what questions students ask around different situations and scenarios. The information that has been delivered through this persona however is not personal. Like the teaching content above it will get sense checked and validated by student groups, usually paid consultants, but the content is information that is readily available on the college webpages or on the wider web. The reason for presenting information in this way through the personae is twofold: Like Chris it shows underrepresented groups that we have thought of you and we want to cater for you. The additional layer here is that we also want to share information with the wider community (staff and students) which may help with cultural understanding, for example elements of Muslim law that restrict borrowing.

These two types of personae are simple to create and need limited input from the communities that they represent as their main function is simply to exist. As a creator, and as someone who cares about wide ranging visibility across the whole project this is comfortable and relatively safe, from an individual perspective. To this point, working with colleagues who are experts in their fields, we have reached a good place: Highlighting information or communities in a general way can often be done with minimal risk of causing offence and without necessarily requiring direct representation.

However, we can do more. We can tell more stories. But that is when it gets difficult, morally, and ethically, to do it well and to do it safely. To tell more personal stories we need to go to those communities and ask for the stories and that can be a burden on those people. We do not have all the answers on how to do this but we have some ideas, and some plans for the future. That is stage three, and characters like Karl, and the three students with disabilities will be part of that. We have ambition, and some colleagues in the student union who want to help us tell those stories so phase three, maybe, will be Flo (drawn by Mingke).

Jake Flockett
Preferred name: Flo
Details: 18 years old from London, UK
Imperial Course: MEng Mechanical Engineering
Optional Modules: Attributes and Aspirations
Clubs and Societies: Mech Eng Soc
Job: Part-time shift manager at his local Co-Op
Tags: Home, UG, full-time, FiF, commuter

I hope that we will be able to explore some stories about the difficulties faced by first in family students like Flo when it comes to institutional belonging and why they need to work alongside studying. These are important stories to tell, they combine the representation given by Chris, the element of cultural understanding that is seen with Karl, and the real, personal stories that we can tell without asking our students to take on too much of that emotional load. I don’t know how, or if it will work, but I am prepared to try in a way which makes sure our students, particularly those we want to represent, are safe, supported, and ultimately feel like they belong.

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The M25 Spring meeting 2025 took place online on Monday 24 March 2025.

The agenda was open to contributions from the learning technology community resulting in a diverse agenda that covered a mix of tools, projects, reflections and ideas.

Project Managing as Educational Technologists

First up, Miranda Melcher, Matthew Green and Daniel Johnson-Mathison, from City St Georges, University of London, presented on her team’s support of an online and asynchronous MSc in Computer Science where students can enrol in the programme at any time. You can imagine the logistical challenges this creates. Miranda explained the importance of collaboration, constant communication, keeping checklists, and automated assessment to pulling this off. It was great to hear about the programme, which sounded both innovative and complex, and the coordination behind it. 

‘Fail we may. Sail we must’ Reflections on navigating social media use in higher education

Alex Spiers from Kings College London, spoke next, sharing his thoughts on the history of social media and what to do now given the recent tumultuous history of Twitter (X!). His message was that though things may be difficult; we must push on. Alex explored several alternatives to Twitter, such as Mastodon and Threads, but noted they typically have less users or limited interactions. Alex suggested that Bluesky was the most promising of the options, and although its numbers are small, this might mean that it can be more easily shaped to promote productive discourse. This was a moving personal and reflective talk and hopefully inspires us all to try to create ongoing and new social media communities. 

 Exploring the Microsoft Teams Webinar Tool in Higher Education: Is this one small step for an educator or one giant leap for education?

Next up, Manasa Panikkamparambil Manomohanan from London South Bank University (LSBU) presented on her project to move LSBU from MS Teams to MS Teams webinar. She outlined how LSBU previously relied on manually setting up Microsoft Teams for student classes, but this led to issues with a lack of registration data and reminders, and staff not receiving join links. Manasa outlined her role in supporting the move to Microsoft Teams Webinars to solve these issues.

LSBU has also automated the creation of these webinars saving time and energy. Manasa explained that when integrating technologies, we should always ask ourselves are we taking small steps or giant leaps? Whilst the shift from MS Teams to MS Teams Webinar sounds small, it’s clear that it has led to some significant benefits for staff and students. It always important to look out for these opportunities.

Pros and Cons to customising your VLE look and feel for online learning.

Finally, Annora Eyt-Dessus from King’s College London spoke on how universities often want to customise the look, feel and functionality of their Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to support fully online students whilst maintaining an internal VLE for blended learning students. Customising the same VLE for these two sets of users with different needs can take many approaches, and Annora outlined two examples she had worked on.

The first approach taken at Bayes Business School was to build a custom Moodle theme which was then activated for users in specific courses. The theme was designed in house but developed by a third-party contractor as a child-theme of the public Moodle Snap theme. Whilst being positively received by users, there were challenges with maintaining the theme, transferring content between the external and internal VLEs, central support, contract tendering and costs to upgrade.

The second approach, taken at Kings College London, was to develop a design system in CSS and Javascript, which is added to a course manually through a hidden course block on Moodle. The design system is developed in house and informed by KCL’s UX team research. Whilst this approach can customise less than a theme, Annora explained that it is easier to maintain, and ensures the customisation can be managed and informed in house. In future, KCL wants to improve the speed and robustness of this approach and possibly create a plugin for the customisation.

You can watch the recording of the meeting to learn more.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 17 July 2025, 2-5pm in person at Chancellors Hall, Senate House. The theme is Making Digital Life Better for International students in London. See you there!rnational students in London. See you there!

By Constance (Connie) Henry, Essential Skills Practitioner, Gower College Swansea

What is TechTober?:

TechTober is a free, month-long event that brings together educators and digital practitioners from Further Education (FE), Higher Education (HE), and Work-Based Learning (WBL). They make time in their schedules to share their favourite tools, ideas, and strategies for technology enhanced learning. 

This event was created and brought to fruition by Kirsty Ingelson from Kirklees College, to really create a community of sharing with one another instead of competing or gate keeping great tools and ideas. 

“ TechTober started with a simple idea: lots of us are doing great things, but we don’t always share them.”

Kirsty Ingelson

As soon as she mentioned the idea to me, I was on board as it was such an amazing idea!  I got about making a digital advertising book to showcase the event. Anyone who knows me, knows how often I use these multimedia books! (Side note- I’m doing a webinar about HeyZine Multimedia books on the 17th June with Amplify FE – click here to register and come along! If you are reading this after this after the live session you can catch up on the  Amplify FE YouTube Channel  and catch other great webinars!) It was a great way to showcase the involvement of everyone and advertise the event. I love the whole feel of TechTober, where people are genuinely happy to work together, supporting each other navigating the murky, ever-changing world of education! 

“I love people come together to help others, it ran so well with people taking bits of responsibility naturally, use their talents and strengths to pull off the event- I pull it together, but it doesn’t work without people agreeing to do sessions, helping market, and sharing their knowledge time and effort to do something for someone else- that continues to blow me away.”

Kirsty Ingelson

The sessions that run throughout October are a huge collective of webinars to help improve classroom engagement, streamline marking, planning, and communication, along with useful tools for educators. In this blog, we look back at last year’s TechTober, share the link to our recordings and resource book, and give a sneak peek at what’s coming up in 2025!

Looking back: What made TechTober 2024 so special

Last October, we launched TechTober as a way of highlighting, sharing, and celebrating great digital practice across the education sector. What started as a simple idea grew into a vibrant, month-long digital event that brought together contributors and attendees from FE, HE, and WBL settings across the UK.

“TechTober gives people a platform they might not usually get and helps build a community focused on embedding EdTech in a way that genuinely improves teaching, learning, and assessment. It doesn’t need to be a bolt-on we can do this better, together.”

Kirsty Ingelson

The aim was simple: to create an open, inclusive space where colleagues could freely share tools, tips and tricks that help them not only in the classroom, but also in streamlining processes, saving time, and improving outcomes. Whether it was making lesson planning more efficient, reducing workload around marking, or simplifying how we communicate with learners, TechTober showed that digital doesn’t have to be complicated to make a big impact!

Weekdays through October, we hosted live sessions, either early morning, lunchtime or after work, giving flexibility to those who wanted to join. These webinars spotlighted examples of digital tools being used to tackle real challenges. From interactive whiteboards to collaborative documents, accessible design to automated feedback systems and from AI tips to resource creations it was a feast of practical ideas.

What really stood out was the collaborative spirit of the event. Educators were generous with their time and expertise, creating a ripple effect where attendees not only gained inspiration but also felt empowered to try new approaches in their own settings.

Bringing the sectors together

One of the most powerful aspects of TechTober was the blending of voices from across the sectors. We had sharing of creative ways to use tools like Padlet, Multimedia books and Quizziz, showing how immersive experiences can support learning with BodySwaps and Immersive rooms, and ways to utilise AI effectively in in the classroom, creating resources, using with learners and supporting accessibility. It really had a great mix of topics and something for everyone.

This mix of perspectives was intentional and important. Too often, we work in silos. TechTober broke that down. By bringing together educators with different experiences but who shared goals, we were able to spark new conversations and highlight common challenges. Whether you’re in a college classroom, delivering remotely to a workplace, or supporting learners in a university lecture hall, the threads of digital innovation, inclusion, and efficiency link us all.

Recordings, summaries and connections – All in one place

If you missed any of the live sessions, or want to revisit your favourites, you can find everything in our TechTober 2024 Webinar Recordings Book

 This digital collection includes:

• Recordings of sessions
• Resource links
• Summaries of sessions
• LinkedIn profiles from our contributors 
• Information on current projects to get in touch
• Ideas for how to take the next step in your own setting

It’s freely available and we encourage you to share it widely within your networks.

What we’ve learnt

While the sessions themselves were brilliant, we also gained valuable insight from the event overall. Here are just a few of the key takeaways:

• Digital doesn’t mean complicated – Sometimes the smallest tools make the biggest difference. Several contributors shared how a single app or shortcut had transformed a time-consuming task into something manageable.
• We all benefit from sharing – People appreciated the honesty of the presenters, many shared any struggles they had with tools and what worked. That realness helped others feel more confident to give things a try.
• Collaboration is key – Bringing people together across institutions and sectors generated ideas that simply wouldn’t have emerged in isolation.
• The appetite for this kind of space is huge – Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many saying they’d never attended anything quite like it: informal, practical, and full of ideas they could use straight away.

Looking Ahead: TechTober 2025

The great news? TechTober will be back in 2025!

We’re already working on plans to make this year’s event even better, with more opportunities to contribute, connect, and collaborate.

We’ll be bringing in fresh themes based on last year’s feedback, including:

• Digital tools for learner engagement
• Supporting wellbeing through technology
• Using AI responsibly and effectively
• Simple solutions to reduce marking and admin overload
• Creating accessible, inclusive learning spaces

Once again, we’ll be drawing on the strengths of FE, HE, and WBL colleagues to lead the way.

We have announced our call for contributors on LinkedIn so if you have a tool, idea, or digital success story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re confident in presenting or would prefer to submit a recorded piece, there’s a space for everyone at TechTober.

Get Involved

Please fill out the TechTober Application Form for the chance to be involved. We’re aiming to cover a broad range of topics, so while we welcome all applications, there may be some overlap in the tools or themes suggested. If that’s the case and we’re unable to offer everyone a slot, we’ll be in touch to explore whether there’s an alternative session you could lead. Deadline for contributors is the 30th of June. 

Explore the TechTober Book and share it with your colleagues, we want to be able to share information, ideas and wins with everyone, they may not even be in education but can still benefit from the recordings!

Keep up with updates – follow us on LinkedIn:

• Kirsty Ingelson https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-ingleson-250bb3133/ 
• Constance Henry https://www.linkedin.com/in/constance-h-26277b209/  

TechTober was designed to be a space where people could come together, learn from each other, and walk away with something practical. Thanks to your energy, creativity, and willingness to share, it’s grown into something much more!

We can’t wait to see what TechTober 2025 brings!

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.

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