Belonging by Design: Learning, identity and connection across our academic community (2026)
Teaching & Learning Conference 9th July 2026
Belonging by Design: Learning, identity and connection across our academic community
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Time |
Activity/session |
Presenter(s) |
Slides and Recordings |
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9:15 – 9:45 |
Arrive and breakfast |
Ìý |
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9:45 – 10:00 |
Welcome Ìý |
Prof Elizabeth McCrum, PVC Education and Student Experience |
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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10:00 – 10:30 |
Student Spotlight on Belonging Ìý |
Victoria Grace-Bland (CQSD) and Student Partners Ìý |
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10:30 – 11:15 Ìý Ìý Ìý 11:15-11:30 |
Key Notespeaker (presenting remotely) Building Belonging from the Beginning: Practical Approaches to Foster Early Connection Ìý Ìý Q&A Ìý |
Prof Kelly Edmunds, Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia Ìý |
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11:30 – 12:00 |
Refreshment break & transition to parallel workshops Ìý |
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Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý 12:00 – 13:00 Ìý |
Parallel session 1 Communicating to connect: the power of language, co-creation and design in building compassionate learning environments (Workshop) |
Zola Dean (Psychology) Karenjit Sandhu (Art) Amanda Hall (Politics) Ìý |
Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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Parallel session 2 Spatial belonging: How university spaces shape student experience (Talks & table discussions) Ìý Ìý |
Billy Wong (Education) Ruth Ng (Library) Shweta Ghosh (Film, Theatre & Television) Rhi Smith (Archaeology, Museums and Collections) |
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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Parallel session 3 Belonging in the classroom: Teaching approaches that work! (Lightning talks) Ìý |
Katie Gray (Psychology) Kate Jones (Henley Business School) Emma Pape (Psychology) Linyao Wang (Education) Laura Girling (Agriculture) Brian Turner (Global Academy) |
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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13:00 – 14:00 |
Lunch break, posters & marketplace Supporting Student Belonging Marketplace Ìý |
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Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý 14:00 – 15:00 Ìý Ìý |
Parallel session 4 Belonging at scale: Making large classes feel personal (workshop) Ìý |
Angela Buckingham (CQSD, ADE) Emma Herrod (CQSD, TEL) Jackie Fairbairn (CQSD, TEL) |
Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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Parallel session 5 Seen and Heard: Valuing Experience, Voice and Identity in Higher Education (Talks & table discussions) Ìý |
Julia Limper, Anjali Mehta Chandar, Emma-Jayne Conway and Nakita Oldacre (Charlie Waller Institute) Gemma Peacock (Global Academy) Rachel Warner (Typography) Julia Crabtree (Art) Rebecca Harris (Education) |
Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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Parallel session 6 From Classroom to Career: Building Students’ Sense of Professional Belonging (Lightning Talks) Ìý |
Andrea Tresidder (Henley Business School) Louise Smith (Agriculture) Noor Azeyah Khiyon (Built Environment,UoRMalaysia) Dorothy Balhatchet (Food and Nutrition) Scarlett Murphy (Education) Tabarak Ballal (Built Environment) |
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý |
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15:00-15:10 |
Moving to final session |
Ìý |
Ìý |
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15:10-15:55 |
Plenary panel: Perspectives on Belonging by Design Ìý |
Chair: Prof. Alana James (Psychology) Ìý Lydia Fletcher, Research and Evaluation Manager (CQSD) Jamie Samson, Campaigns and Insights Manager (91µ¼º½ Students’ Union) Ellie Vialls, Director of Academic Tutoring (Charlie Waller Institute) Yashvi Borisager (Student, Pharmacology) |
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15:55- 16:00 |
Closing remarks Ìý |
Prof Robert Van de Noort, Vice Chancellor |
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