Learn more about our keynote speakers and plenary sessions.

This year’s programme features over 100 sessions over three days. We will welcome nearly 200 speakers from 15 countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

Our plenary sessions are designed to bring all participants together to focus on the key themes.

Opening Plenary Part 1: Welcome to the Conference – chaired by Peter Bryant and Elizabeth Charles (Online)

For the return of the Annual Conference to Manchester we are bringing together different critical perspectives from across our community that will examine the challenges ahead and question the shape of things to come. We are putting our values into practice and Members at the heart of the conference, so in this spirit the event will be chaired collaboratively by the Trustees of ALT. This welcome session will introduce the conference themes, highlights and how to make the most of your time taking part in person or online.

At last year’s Annual Conference we asked speakers to reflect on shared experiences, different perspectives, and this year’s opening plenaries will continue this theme and celebrate different voices from our community.

Opening Plenary Part 2: Shared experiences shaping the future (in person & online)

The second part of the opening plenary will dive deeper into the themes of this year’s conference, bring together different voices from across our community to reflect on the shared experiences and different perspectives of the past two years, and how these will shape the future of our work.

We want to acknowledge the journey our Members have been on over the past two years, the central role all Learning Technology professionals have played in education and training throughout the pandemic and its aftermath. Importantly, we want to highlight the need to build on, not ignore, the knowledge gained and progress made, when we plan ahead. Instead of things going ‘back to normal’ this opening plenary will help us explore what expertise and insight is needed for the future of digital education.

How our profession is changing: the #altc22 Panel Discussion – chaired by Helen O’Sullivan (in person & online)

With Fereshte Goshtasbpour and Helen Beetham

This year’s results from ALT’s Annual Survey highlighted some of the accelerated changes that we are seeing in the profession. Student engagement continues to be the primary driver for use of Learning Technology, and this has remained constant for the past six years. The sector has seen a significant growth in investment in permanent as well as fixed term posts in Learning Technology and a growing demand for learning technologists who are in positions of leadership. We are seeing a growing community of digital practitioners and a wider range of Learning Technology roles as we are adapting to the changing and increasingly post-pandemic landscape.

Explore the reports: Trends in Learning Technology and How our Profession is Changing.

Ethics and educational technology – Rob Farrow (in person & online)

The ALT Framework for Learning Technology reflects the authentic need for ethical perspectives in an increasingly uncertain world. This presentation explores contemporary relationships between ethics and educational technology. There is an increasing ethical import associated with the rapid deployment of new and powerful and transformative digital technologies across society. Cutting edge technologies offer new possibilities for pedagogy, inclusion and access to learning, but are often implemented without their effects being fully understood. Learning technologists operate at the intersection of competing demands and interests along with their ethical complexities, often with little more guidance than a risk management checklist. Drawing on the history of online learning, philosophical ethics, critical theory and educational research, key examples of ethical issues will be explored and related to the FELT framework. It will be argued that the increasing need for ethical reflection requires dialogic and inclusive approaches which retain critical perspectives.

Dr Rob Farrow is Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University (UK).

Excellence in Learning Technology Showcase – chaired by David White (in person & online)

The ALT Learning Technologist of the Year Awards celebrate and reward excellent research and practice and outstanding achievement in Learning Technology. Established in 2007, the Awards have set a benchmark for outstanding achievement in Learning Technology on a national scale and attract competitive entries from the UK and internationally. All entries are reviewed by an independent judging panel chaired by the President of ALT.

This year’s Awards featured new categories to recognise leadership, ethical approaches to educational technology and digital transformation in partnership with Jisc alongside teams and individuals. This showcase session is your opportunity to hear from the winners of this year’s awards (which will be announced during the conference) and gain insight into their outstanding work.

Check back here for further information as we announce more speakers.  Find out more about the full hybrid programme and register now.