The conference will take place on:

• Friday 10th April 2026, 09:00-12:00 BST
• Saturday 11th April 2026, 13:00-16:00 BST
• Monday 13th April 2026, 18:00-20:30 BST

Registration

Attendance at the conference has no charge, but you must please register in advance. To register, please complete the short form here: H890 Research & Scholarship in Digital Education Online Conference 2026 Registration – Fill in form

The H890 ‘Research and Scholarship in Digital Education’ online module is part of the MA in Online Teaching programme run by the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at the Open University UK. This online conference is presented using the Open University’s Online Rooms, powered by Adobe Connect.

Keynote Speakers

We are delighted that our conference will be opened on the Friday by Sukaina Walji, Director Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, University of Cape Town, South Africa (and one of our very own alumni). We are equally thrilled that Saturday’s session will feature a keynote presentation by Tim Coughlan, Professor of Learning Innovation and Accessibility, The Open University, UK, and that our final session on the Monday will be kicked off by a fascinating presentation from Allison Littlejohn, Professor of Learning Technology at University College London, UK.

Professor Tim Coughlan is Associate Director for Research and Knowledge Exchange and Professor of Learning Innovation and Accessibility in the Institute for Educational Technology at the Open University. His research crosses the areas of Education and Human-Computer Interaction. He is particularly focused on the design and evaluation of systems that support inclusion, creativity, and openness in learning. He also led creation of the postgraduate microcredential: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning. He led the development of Our Journey, a platform to support students to represent and reflect on their study journeys, and in ADMINS, led creation of a virtual assistant to support disabled students. More recent work has focused further on the ways in which AI assistants can support online study, and the use of VR simulations and AI to support healthcare training.

Professor Allison Littlejohn is Pro-Vice Provost for UCL’s Grand Challenge Data Empowered Societies and is Professor of Learning and Technology in the UCL Knowledge Lab at University College London. Her research expands our understanding of the socio-technical effects of digital transformation at work and how it impacts work and learning. Allison has held senior positions at various UK universities: she was previously Director of the UCL Knowledge Lab, University College London; Dean (Learning & Teaching) at the University of Glasgow; Academic Director for Digital Innovation at the UK Open University; and Director of the Caledonian Academy at Glasgow Caledonian University. She has held visiting professorships at the National Institute of Education, Singapore, Open University of Catalonia and Oslo University.

Conference Programme