1–2 December 2026 · Aviva Stadium, Dublin
HEA Teaching and Learning Conference 2026
Conference agenda
Teaching and Learning for Student Success
Tuesday 1 December 2026
Registration and refreshments
Poster showcase open.
Welcome and opening remarks
Keynote: Learning, Belonging, and Student Success in the Age of AI
Professor Peter Felten, Elon University (US)
This keynote will consider how meaningful human connections support student motivation, learning, persistence and wellbeing, and how institutions can build the cultures, structures and systems needed to sustain relationship-rich education.
Keynote abstract and speaker biography
What is the future of student success in a world saturated with generative AI? Even as we explore emerging possibilities, we should keep our eyes focused on the decades of research that reveal how meaningful human connections drive student motivation, learning, persistence, and well-being in higher education. Education has always been, and always will be, a human endeavor. Yet translating that research into institutional reality — ensuring that every student has an inescapably relationship-rich education — requires more than committed individuals and well-designed programs. It requires cultures, structures, and systems that enable and sustain relational work at scale. Everyone at the institution – all staff and students – are essential contributors to building a culture of connection. In this session, we will dig into frameworks, strategies, and practices that you can adapt to enhance conditions for learning, belonging, and success for all students at your institution.
Peter Felten is professor of history, executive director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and assistant provost for teaching and learning at Elon University (US) He has co-authored nine books about higher education, including Connections are Everything: A College Student’s Guide to Relationship-Rich Education, which has an open-access online version free to all readers. His next book, Scaling Relationship-Rich Education: How Institutions Build Cultures Where Students Thrive, will be published in spring 2027 by Johns Hopkins University Press. He is on the advisory board of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and is a fellow of the Gardner Institute.
Parallel sessions
Short presentations from across the sector will share approaches to teaching and learning enhancement, evidence and experience, and learning from different institutional and disciplinary contexts.
Room A: Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Student Success
Curriculum design, teaching approaches, assessment and learning resources that support student success. Contributions will consider inclusive and authentic approaches to learning, drawing on experience of design, implementation and evaluation.
Room B: Student Engagement, Partnership and Belonging
Inclusive participation, student–staff partnership and student agency. Contributions will consider how institutions and programmes support engagement and belonging, and how student perspectives inform teaching and learning enhancement.
Networking lunch and case study poster showcase
Case study posters will be on display.
StudentSurvey.ie report launch
StudentSurvey.ie Parallel sessions
Room A: StudentSurvey.ie Findings – Creating the conditions for student success
Room B: StudentSurvey.ie – Improving the student experience in partnership between students and HEIs
Close of day one
Wednesday 2 December 2026
Welcome
Plenary session
Session details to be confirmed.
Parallel sessions
Presentations and discussion will consider how institutions coordinate their work on student success and use evidence to inform enhancement.
Room A: Whole-of-Institution Approaches to Student Success
Institutional frameworks, curriculum development and collaboration across roles and functions. Contributions will consider how institutional ambitions and student experiences can inform inclusive practice, programme development and sustained change.
Room B: Using Evidence to Inform Teaching and Learning Enhancement
The use of research, student feedback and evaluation in teaching and learning enhancement. Contributions will consider how evidence is gathered, interpreted and used to understand student experiences, guide changes and assess their effects.
In Conversation: Enhancing Teaching and Learning for Student Success
Chair: Professor Marie Clarke
This plenary conversation will bring together the chairs of the four thematic sessions to consider learning from across the conference. Discussion will explore connections between academic practice, student engagement and partnership, institutional approaches and the use of evidence, and consider implications for teaching and learning enhancement.
Closing remarks
Networking lunch
Lunch will be available before departure or participation in the parallel afternoon events beginning at 14.00.
Parallel afternoon events
Delegates can attend either the Professional Recognition of Teaching and Learning Symposium or Education for Sustainable Development: Professional Development and Leadership. Additional registration will be required for these events.
Wednesday afternoon: parallel events
Both events begin at 14.00. Delegates should select one event; additional registration will be required.
Professional Recognition of Teaching and Learning Symposium
This symposium will consider professional recognition of teaching and learning, drawing on European experience and developments in Ireland.
Opening remarks
Why does recognition of teaching and learning matter?
Catherine O’Mahony and Thérèse Zhang
Lessons from the European University Association’s STAFF-DEV project, considering how institutions support and value teaching through professional development and recognition, and the relevance to institutional culture.
What are we doing in Ireland?
Sharon McGreevy
Moderated discussion
Where to next?
Ruth Graham
A conversation with questions and answers, reflecting on the Irish framework and future possibilities for professional recognition of teaching and learning.
Close
Education for Sustainable Development: Professional Development and Leadership
This event will celebrate completion of the three ESD Open Courses and consider how professional development informs practice and supports ESD leadership.
Welcome and celebration of ESD Open Course completion
Professional development and ESD practice
Open course participants will share short accounts of how professional development has informed their thinking and practice, providing a basis for peer discussion and reflection on embedding ESD.
Developing and supporting ESD leadership: leadership stories
Contributors will share experiences of ESD leadership in different roles and settings, considering how leadership develops and the supports that help it grow.
Workshop: Developing and Supporting ESD Leadership
Using the HEA ESD Self-Evaluation Tool, participants will reflect on practice, opportunities for collaboration and practical next steps in their own institutional contexts.
Sharing reflections and identifying next steps
Participants will share workshop insights and consider opportunities for continued learning and collaboration. A short contribution will introduce SHIFT — Sustainable Higher Education Innovation, Futures and Transformation — and its work on institutional leadership and whole-of-institution approaches to ESD.
Closing remarks
For conference enquiries, contact admin@teachingandlearning.ie.