49th Computers and Learning Research Group Annual Conference (Online)
8-12 June 2026
We’re delighted to share the schedule and abstracts for this year’s 49th CALRG conference. The conference will take place online and is open to all.
If you are external to The Open University (UK) then please email us for links to join the conference sessions.
Monday 8 June 2026
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 14.00 | Welcome | |
| 14.15 | Keynote: Reclaiming the Utopian Surplus: Open Education in an Age of Technological Fatigue | Dr. Markus Deimann (ORCA.nrw & FernUniversität in Hagen) |
| 15.15 | Comfort break | |
| 15.30 | Federating Openness: The Global Open Graduate Network Pilot Hub Initiative | Beck Pitt, Rob Farrow & Carina Bossu (OUUK) |
| 16.00 | Embedding Co-Design and Citizen Science Practices with Diverse Youth: Case Studies from the PEACE of Mind Project | Natalie Divin, Jessica Carr, Jay Martin, Christothea Herodotou (OUUK; Inspire Wellbeing, UK) |
| 16.30 | Close |
Tuesday 9 June 2026
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 9.15 | Symposium:
Reimagining Research Skills Development for UK Social Scientists: co-creating the Research Capability Hub |
Bart Rienties, Duygu Bektik, Carina Bossu, Elizabeth Fitzgerald (OUUK) |
| 10.45 | Comfort break | |
| 11.00 | Better Words for AI – a collaborative dynamic lexicon | Mirjam Hauck, Eleanor Moore, Olivia Kelly, Julia Molinari (OUUK) |
| 11.30 | Proposing Inclusive Ethical AI Policy Guidelines for Higher Education | Munir Moosa Sadruddin (World Institute on Disability) |
| 12.00 | Re-visioning teaching practice and teacher professional development at scale through the lens of 360° video | Simon Cross (OUUK) |
| 12.30 | Comfort break | |
| 12.45 | From Personalisation to Adaptation: Synthesising the Evidence and Extending the Framework | Maria Aristeidou, Felipe Tessarolo (OUUK) |
| 13.15 | Teachers, Tools, and AI: Understanding the Role of Generative Systems in Curriculum Production | Thomas Ullmann, Duygu Bektik, Chris Edwards, Denise Whitelock, Christothea Herodotou (OUUK) |
| 13.45 | Close |
Wednesday 10 June 2026
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 9.15 | Supporting Disabled Students in Distance Education: A Comparison of Effective Practices in UNED and the Open University | Tim Coughlan, Francisco Iniesto, Ana Castellano-Beltrán, Covadonga Rodrigo (OUUK; UNED, Spain; Universidad de Sevilla, Spain) |
| 9.45 | Learning on their own terms: A Study of Self-Organised Learning among University Students through the lens of Activity Theory | Amon Ezike (Lancaster) |
| 10.15 | Comfort break | |
| 10.30 | The dynamics of Collaborative Problem Solving in Hybrid Learning Environments | Rogers Kaliisa, Crina Damsa, Kamila Misiejuk (University of Oslo; Fern University Hagen) |
| 11.00 | The Effectiveness of Blended Learning in Secondary Mathematics Education: Perspectives of Students, Teachers, and Parents in Saudi Arabia on the Madrasati Platform | Nader Alharbi, John McDermott, Keith Topping (The University of Dundee, UK; King Fahad College, KSA) |
| 11.30 | Empowering Teachers about Artificial Intelligence to Support Learners with Disabilities. | Salima Sewani (OUUK) |
| 12.00 | Close |
Thursday 11 June 2026
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 9.15 | Understanding Teacher Educators’ Reflective Practices: Early Findings From a Needs Analysis Informing AI–Supported Reflection | Mireille Pinas (OUUK) |
| 9.45 | Exploring Transformative Agency in AI-Mediated Foreign Language Learning: A Study of chatbot-mediated Language Learning using Activity Theory | Patricia Lanners-Kaminski (Lancaster) |
| 10.15 | Re-Thinking Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | Denise G Taylor (Lancaster) |
| 10.45 | Comfort break | |
| 11.00 | Learning Through Mediated Problem-Solving in Engineering Final Year Projects | Deepa Gundala Vijayaraghavan (Lancaster) |
| 11.30 | Rethinking Programming Education through Physical Computing: A Case Study approach on Level 1 Computing and Communications at the Open University. | David McDade (OUUK)
|
| 12.00 | Exploring Volumetric Video Production for Learning: Preliminary Insights from Industry Practitioners | Italo Rangel (OUUK) |
| 12.30 | Close |
Friday 12 June 2026
| Time | Presentation | Speaker(s) |
| 9.15 | Listening to Digital Fatigue: Neurodivergent Students’ Narratives of Embodiment, Belonging, and Online Learning | Giselle Tadman (Lancaster) |
| 9.45 | Improving learners’ attention in synchronous online ESOL classes through the integration of visual aids: An action research and eye tracking study | Truong Do, Ursula Stickler, Lijing Shi, Irina Rets (OUUK) |
| 10.15 | Comfort break | |
| 10.30 | AI-Mediated Student Support in Technology-Enhanced Learning: A Design-Based Research Study of Inclusive Engagement in Higher Education | Mahbub Rahman (Lancaster) |
| 11.00 | When Competence Fails Under Pressure: Designing AI-Supported Simulation for Emotional Intelligence and Decision-Making in Project Management | Kristen Karmazinuk (Lancaster) |
| 11.30 | Comfort break | |
| 11.45 | GenAI-Driven Assessment in Business Schools: Rethinking Trust, Pedagogy, and Outcomes | Peter Birdsall (OUUK, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences) |
| 12.15 | Emotional Profiles of Generative AI Adoption: A Mixed Methods Study of Distance Learning Educators in Higher Education | Kendal Wright (OUUK) |
| 12.45 | Close |