Programme

Paul Feldman, CEO of Jisc, welcomes you to Digifest 2021.

More details coming soon.

A panel discussion with:

• Alex Butler, chief digital and information officer, Bath University
• Debbie Holley, professor of learning innovation, Bournemouth University
• Aftab Hussain, ILT manager, Bolton College
• Steven Hope, head of independent learning, Leeds City College

In this panel discussion, find out what the global pandemic has taught us about current and future student generations. Understand what will prove to be the lasting benefits of the new learning model(s) that the sector has quickly adopted. What will be the biggest challenges and hurdles in 2021?

Speaker: Chris Payne, deputy chief executive, NCG

Understand how COVID-19 has brought together local communities across the UK’s only national college group to be able to offer so much more than education.

This session looks at the importance of collaboration to amplify innovation, problem-solving and support. It'll also cover how to use the strengths of a college group to accomplish real change for young people, communities and economies across the country.

Speaker: Susan Ashworth, executive director, information services and university librarian, University of Glasgow.

This presentation will use examples from the University of Glasgow to demonstrate how university libraries are working together with students, researchers and other stakeholders to create innovative new services, environments and partnerships.

It will look at how the University of Glasgow's experiences of the past few months have accelerated these activities and how change will be embedded into the future development of libraries.

Speakers include:

• Fiona Shelton, centre for excellence in learning and teaching, University of Derby
• John Hill, head of library and digital learning, University of Derby

Join this session to hear Fiona and John discuss:

• The development of an educational model
• Staff development activity
• The institutional approach to implementation
• Student feedback, evaluation and swift intervention

Speaker: Amy Hollier, head of blended learning at Blended Learning Consortium, Heart of Worcestershire College

In this session, Amy will take a closer look at:

• Structuring and designing blended learning to enhance the learner experience
• The contextualisation of blended learning for further education
• Getting the right 'blend' of synchronous and asynchronous activity

Speakers: Fiona Durham, FHEA learning and teaching librarian, engineering, science, languages and education, Open University

Speaker: Lis Smith, principal and chief executive, Preston College

Speaker: Ann Rossiter, SCONUL.

More information coming soon.

More information coming soon.

Speaker: Steve Masters, CTO, Jisc

Speaker: Priya Lakhani, Founder CEO, Century Tech.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had transformative effects on nearly all sectors, not least of all education. Almost overnight millions of teachers and pupils shifted into remote learning, with many schools struggling to make the change with little extra resource. In the process, many students have missed out on invaluable learning time, while teachers’ already stressful lives have been made even more difficult.

But amidst this there are signs of hope, with many schools showing that with the right technology and strategy, remote learning can be a success. Priya Lakhani OBE, founder CEO of CENTURY Tech, an award-winning AI edtech company, will discuss how technology came to the fore in education in 2020 and what this means for the future of education. Priya will discuss how, despite remote learning never being able to compete with face-to-face learning, the lessons of the pandemic can be used to improve education overall.

A panel discussion with:

• David Hayes, chief data officer, The Open University
• Dr Arfan Ismail, head of digital learning, Blackpool and The Fyde College

An overview of projects including:

• Analysing data from different exam points to predict outcomes and make early interventions in terms of helping students achieve their goals
• How can big data and analytics be used most effectively in student outcome prediction?
• Minimising drop-out rates through data, while improving student outcomes
• How can AI and machine learning in combination with data help with retention?
• How to improve student outcomes for students at risk, lifelong learning and gifted and talented?

Speakers: Professor Liz Bacon, deputy principal and deputy vice-chancellor, professor of computer science, Abertay University

Speaker: Dr David Kellermann, senior lecturer, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

This session looks at how modern enterprise productivity platforms, rather than learning management systems, can facilitate the practical realisation of concepts of Education 4.0, such as predicative data-analytics, data driven experience, personalised learning, bots, human centred AI and machine learning, augmented reality, collaborative learning online, community building, student engagement and retention, synchronous/asynchronous and hybrid online/ on campus experiences.

Speaker: Michael Webb, director of technology and analytics, Jisc.

Speaker: Rachel Bass, VR developer, Lakes College

This session looks at how a small independent college used VR to help promote the college and help welcome students to campus virtually. Hear about innovative curriculum practices conducted at Lakes College, and how they increased staff digital engagement through digital surgeries.

Speaker: Dr. Simon Hayhoe, reader in education, director of public engagement, department of education, Bath University

This presentation starts by defining the aims of accessible technology, inclusion and inclusive technology. We will then look at four generations of the development of accessible technologies from the 19th century until present.day. We'll continue by discussing an adapted form of the SAMR model of applying educational technology to accessible technologies.

Simon will talk about what is happening at the moment in ground breaking projects that can be described as Inclusion 2.0, to develop what he calls Accessible Technology 4.0. Simon will finish by speculating, given the first four generations, what Accessible Technology 5.0 might look like and investigate what AI, the IoT and what social scientific advances might bring to such future technologies.

Speaker: Danielle Johnson, manager digital experience, library, Deakin University.

DeakinGenie is a smartphone-based virtual assistant designed to provide personalised, relevant information and resources to students via a voice/text controlled app. Since Genie’s launch in July 2018, Deakin University Library has actively delivered services to their undergraduate student population through the app.

This session:

• Discusses the progression of library engagement with, and delivery of library services through, Genie
• Considers the conversation-led approach to delivering library services, and compares it with other modes of service delivery

A panel discussion including:

• David Parkes, director of library and learning services, De Montfort University
• Rosie Jones, head of library and student engagement, Teeside University
• John Hill, head of library and digital learning at University of Derby

A panel discussion including:

• Moderator: Dr Sarah Jones, deputy dean: computing, engineering and media, De Montfort University
• Dr. David, Swapp, senior research fellow and immersive VR lab manager, University College London
• Dan Pearson, principal and chief executive officer, USP College

Topics include:

• Creating an immersive space with a wow factor
• Room to enable peer and collaborative learning, keeping it a social experience
• Real time, high quality sound and vision
• Versatility of space to enhance TLA without needing technical geniuses
• Solving the teacher shortage and cost base

Speaker: Catherine Nicole Coleman, digital research architect, Stanford Libraries, Stanford University.

Speaker: Steven Hope, head of independent learning, Leeds City College.

New technologies such as AI, machine learning and automation mean that our learners will work in a world that would be unrecognisable to their grandparents. If education fails to utilise these technologies will it also be unrecognisable to them?

Speaker: Jonathan Baldwin, managing director, higher education, Jisc

Speaker: John O'Brien, president and CEO, EDUCAUSE.

John O’Brien will set the stage for the day’s discussion of digital leadership with a call for leadership less driven by technologies and more animated by humility, creativity, and vision - core values at the heart of the academic enterprise for centuries.

He insists that the leadership characteristics the current pandemic requires include empathy for students and employees, a transformational vision, and creativity in our approach to unprecedented challenges. Thoughtful, strategic focus on these areas will not only successfully lead universities through the current crisis but position them well for whatever follows.

A panel discussion including:

• Sally Dicketts, chief executive, Activate Learning
• Paula Philpott MBE, head of learning academy at SERC
• Moderated by John Sumpter, subject specialist (digital practice – leadership), Jisc

More details coming soon.

Speaker: James Clay, head of higher education and student experience, Jisc.

The future is uncertain, however we do know that digital is integral to ensuring the success of students and learners across higher and further education. Digital leadership will be critical in ensuring the transformation of institutions as they meet critical future challenges.

This presentation will focus on how leaders and managers in HE and FE will need to shift from transactional to transformational leadership, how they can do this and what this will mean for students and learners.

Speaker: Ann D. Thornton, vice provost and university librarian, Columbia University.

Research data is of increasing importance to faculty as more and more research is based on locally-produced data sets, large and small, and as computational approaches are increasingly being used to address research questions.

Yet student and researcher digital competencies and comfort levels with computational tools and methods do not always match the expectations and needs of academic programs throughout the university. Libraries have an important role to play in bridging this skills gap.

By partnering closely with stakeholders to assess the needs and current applications of digital tools and methods, libraries can target non-credit training opportunities for learners with varied skill levels and within different disciplines. These types of programs not only serve the needs of students, researchers, and academic units, but also help define the vitality of the library in relation to other parts of the university's research ecosystem.

Speakers: Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal and vice-chancellor, University of Glasgow

In this session, Professor Muscatelli looks at how immersive learning has aided higher education to adapt to the challenges faced by the pandemic. He'll discuss the role VR can play in delivering engaging, high-quality educational experiences, as well as the role universities can play in supporting and driving forward innovation, particularly as we look to build back from the pandemic.

Speakers: Professor Neil Morris, interim deputy vice-chancellor: digital transformation, University of Leeds

In this session, Neil will discuss:

• Delivering digital education strategy institutionally
• Supporting pedagogically-led technology adoption
• Reflections on leaders’, managers and teaching staff perceptions of digital transformation and growth of online education

Speaker: Andy McGregor, director of edtech, Jisc

Speakers:

• Professor Norbert Pachler, pro-vice-provost digital education
• Professor Sam Smidt, academic director, UCL Arena Centre for research-based education
• Dr Fiona Strawbridge, head of digital education

The presentation will outline and exemplify UCL’s ‘Connected learning’ approach. This draws on and extends UCL’s established curriculum framework to ensure a rich and engaging student experience on the basis of ‘digital first’ at a number of levels: pedagogy, staff development, infrastructure, and regulatory; an approach that goes way beyond an emergency remote response to COVID-19.

Connected learning incorporates a number of design principles linked to the institutional education strategy including: connecting with people; connecting with knowledge and research; and connecting with the wider world.

The presentation will explore and analyse the support ecosystem developed to enable a rapid pivot from face-to-face- to online at scale across some 7000+ members of staff, 5500 modules and 43k+ students, and how to systematically evolve that ecosystem to become a sustainable approach to blended learning and teaching in the longer term.

More details coming soon.

Speaker: Steven Hope, head of independent learning, Leeds City College.

In a world where digital innovation is rapidly changing, making decisions and leading can be daunting. How can we bravely lead the way so that our learners don’t miss out?

More details coming soon.

A panel discussion including:

• Karen Spencer, principal, Harlow College
• Graham Razey, CEO, EKC Group

A panel discussion including:

• Jackie Grubb, principal and chief executive, City College Plymouth
• Anthony Bravo, principal, Basingstoke College of Technology

Speaker: Nazrene Mannie, executive director, GAN Global - The Global Apprenticeship Network

In this session, Nazrene will look at:

• Understanding the role of work-based learning in the future of work context
• Identifying the role of the private sector in shaping work-based learning innovations
• Key elements of the enabling environment
• Good and best practice from GAN Global members

More information about the panel discussion and speakers coming soon.

Speaker: Robyn Guillaume-Smith, programme manager, Mind

Speaker: Esther Wilkinson, head of international, Jisc.

The importance of engaging and listening to their international students, learning from those that have worked to support their large numbers of international students since the pandemic hit, and some tools, techniques and technologies to start on this journey.

More details coming soon.

More details coming soon.

Speaker: Steven Hope, head of independent learning, Leeds City College.

Culture is key to any change in education. We need to respond to the demands of the changing landscape of the world we are preparing our learners for. Education can be very insular and we need to change this to work as a collective and collaborate beyond the silos of organisations.