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The conference took place on:<\/p>\n
Attendance at the conference has no charge, but you must please register in advance. registration for the 2027 conference will open in January 2027 – please check back here at that time for details.<\/p>\n
The H890 ‘Research and Scholarship in Digital Education’ online module<\/a> is part of the MA in Online Teaching<\/a> programme run by the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at the Open University UK. This online conference is presented using the Open University\u2019s Online Rooms, powered by Adobe Connect.<\/p>\n We are delighted that our conference was opened on the Friday by Sukaina Walji<\/strong>, 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 featured a keynote presentation by Tim Coughlan<\/strong>, Professor of Learning Innovation and Accessibility, The Open University, UK, and that our final session on the Monday was kicked off by Professor Rebecca Ferguson<\/strong> of The Open University, UK, standing in for Professor Allison Littlejohn, of University College London, UK – we wish you a speedy recovery Allison.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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:\u00a0Accessibility and Inclusive Learning<\/a>. He led the development of\u00a0Our Journey<\/a>, a platform to support students to represent and reflect on their study journeys, and in\u00a0ADMINS<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Professor Rebecca Ferguson is standing in for Professor Allison Littlejohn of University College London, who unfortunately has been taken ill and cannot now deliver her keynote presentation. We wish Allison well and hope that we can invite her back next year. Rebecca will speak to us about (re)defining the field of learning analytics.<\/p>\nKeynote Speakers<\/h3>\n
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Sukaina Walji is the Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She oversees operational functions to support and shape digital education, blended and online learning, working with multiple university stakeholders to create inclusive and equitable teaching and learning experiences that respond to diverse student and staff needs. As a strategic advisor to university senior leadership, she brings experience in educational policy development, having facilitated the development of UCT’s recently revised Assessment Policy, Digital and Online Education Policy, and most recently UCT’s AI in Education Framework through participatory and consultative stakeholder engagement. She has led a number of institutional digital education and assessment projects, currently serves as the lead for a University Capacity Development Project on Assessment and AI literacy, co-leads an AI Teaching Innovation grants programme and convenes the university\u2019s AI in Education Community of Practice. Her research interests include artificial intelligence in education, digital education strategy, MOOCs, higher education business models and assessment practices. She has a Master\u2019s Degree in Online and Distance Education at the Open University, UK, and a BA (Hons) from Oxford University.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/H890Conference\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/b187986a88912b2dd4a2723f877f5c86-c.png\")
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Conference Programme<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Friday 10th April (Times given are BST)<\/strong><\/div>\n