Finding renewed purpose and community at Connect More 2025

Over the course of two days, participants and speakers shared their insights and experiences, exploring the most important issues and wider implications of changes in technology and digital education.

Discussions were so lively, some sessions had to be transferred to Jisc community forums to allow the conversations to continue.

The 16-session programme was designed with three central themes in mind: educators empowering themselves, enhancing educational experiences for all, and ethical and inclusive digital education practice.

Educators empowering themselves amid disruption

Digital transformation is a challenge, both emotionally and professionally. The sessions at Connect More allowed educators to work together to better understand these challenges, and share strategies for building the skills and confidence to integrate digital tools.

One of the sessions where this theme resonated most strongly was with Ann Thanaraj, associate professor and head of digital and AI, Teesside University.

Titled ‘Designing for and developing the AI and digital resilient learner’, this session quickly took on a life of its own, powered by Ann’s thought-provoking questions which allowed participants to dig deeper into the fundamental issues around AI and education.

How do we teach learners to fail safely when AI tools promise perfection? Who holds responsibility for AI-informed learning decisions – the learner, the educator or the system? What kinds of learning are worth preserving in an AI-rich future?

This spirited collaborative breakout session saw members unmuting themselves to explore these questions in depth, interrogating preconceptions and underlying assumptions about AI and its role in education.

The conversation was expertly led by Ann, who also introduced members to the CRAFT model for ethical AI – a five-step process designed to help gen AI users evaluate and reflect on AI outputs and interactions for a better quality learning experience.

Enhancing educational experiences for all

The second theme encouraged participants to explore how technology can help create learning experiences flexible enough to provide for a diverse range of learners. The emphasis here was on topics such as blended learning models, learning co-designed with students, and collaboration across organisational siloes.

Dr Lina Petrakieva, academic development tutor, provided a fascinating insight into Glasgow Caledonian University’s recent project aimed at providing more effective support for international students.

As the majority of their international students apply for relatively shorter postgraduate courses, it’s even more important for these students to hit the ground running – quickly making them feel comfortable and welcome is essential.

During her session, ‘Integrating universal and programme-specific support for international students’, Lina walked her audience through the web-based responsive resource (created using Rise Articulate 360) her team had built to replace the copious volumes of support materials previously used by Glasgow Caledonian.

Reshaped to meet the changing needs of international students at each stage of their journey (pre-arrival, arrival and during studies), the new resource collates and integrates everything the student needs to know into one main source of truth.

To create this seamless experience, Lina and the team drew on inputs from the university-wide student support systems, the relevant school and the individual academic course requirements. The resource also provides comprehensive support for those new to life in the UK, too, offering advice and assistance for GP and dentist registration, local communication and etiquette, banking and mobile phone networks.

Ethical and inclusive digital education practice

How can practitioners account for the social impact of technology in education? How do they ensure their technology choices are ethical and inclusive?

This thread ran through almost every session, but was most prominently explored by speakers such as Kellie Mote, Jisc’s accessibility programme lead.

Kellie’s session, ‘An accessible digital future? Collaborative approaches to ensuring digital products used in HE work for everyone’, was created as part of the culmination of a two-year research project conducted by Jisc and the Glenlead Centre, exploring accessible tech in HE.

Kellie identified the role of assistive tech users and developers as pioneers, pointing out how some of the most exciting areas of innovation (such as assistive robotics, neurotech and brain-computer interfaces) are often born out of this field.

This perspective was particularly appreciated by members, with one commenting, “it’s lovely to hear these communities being given their due on leading in this area of technology.”

Trying to identify the best metaphor for co-design approaches led to some humorous back-and-forth with participants (eventually settling on making sure ‘the mosh pit is safe for everyone’).

There was also some insightful discussion around how responsibility for accessibility is shared, with the incoming European Accessibility Act mentioned as a welcome regulatory intervention that promises to hold tech vendors to a higher standard of accessibility design.

Get involved with Jisc’s accessibility community.

Using reflections to shine a light on how to build best practice

The two-day event allowed the HE and FE communities to bring a valuable focus to their shared goals, and a renewed curiosity to their practice as digital education practitioners.

By interrogating the ideas, assumptions and motivations that underpin progress, members have ensured that the practical focus of the next Connect More event in May remains squarely on achieving the best possible outcomes for our sector and our learners.

Find out more

Want to speak at Connect More in May 2026? Get in touch and submit your ideas.