Blog

Event date and time: Monday 23 March 2026, 10.00 – 11.00 Join the Neurodiversity CoP March Meeting Guest speaker is Jenny Sanders, Nottingham Trent University discussing ND peer support: Building employability through alumni mentoring As well as potential struggles with joining university, research tells us that neurodivergent graduates, particularly those who are autistic, experience challenges in gaining employment and difficulties integrating into neurotypical workplaces. There have been recommends for HE institutions to create supportive structures where ND students feel listened to and valued, share good practice from disability professionals, and commit to education that is co-facilitated by ND people. A […]

Sandra Abegglen, Tom Burns, Richard F. Heller, Rajan Madhok, Fabian Neuhaus, John Sandars, Sandra Sinfield, Upasana Gitanjali Singh This #Take5 is brought to you by the editorial team of Stories of Hope: Reimagining Education, an open book made possible by the contributions of authors from across the globe. These educators all had a positive and innovative approach to education, and have given much needed hope for a better future for both learners and teachers in these challenging times. Here we hear from the team and what they are doing now. We wanted to share this update because if Learning Developers […]

Event date and time: Wednesday 25 November 2026, 10.30 – 12.30 This is an online event. The writing retreat can offer you the opportunity to ask questions regarding your application and offer you time to write and reflect on your application. The writing retreat can also offer the opportunity to peer mark colleagues’ applications gaining useful feedback. The recognition scheme is open for applications all year round. Join us on a writing retreat to progress your Fellow of ALDinHE (F-ALDinHE) and Senior Fellow of ALDinHE (SF-ALDinHE) award. The F-ALDinHE and SF-ALDinHE awards promote Learning Development as a profession in its […]

Event date and time: Tuesday 24 February 2026, 12.00 -14.00 This is an online event. The writing retreat can offer you the opportunity to ask questions regarding your application and offer you time to write and reflect on your application. The writing retreat can also offer the opportunity to peer mark colleagues’ applications gaining useful feedback. The recognition scheme is open for applications all year round. Join us on a writing retreat to progress your Fellow of ALDinHE (F-ALDinHE) and Senior Fellow of ALDinHE (SF-ALDinHE) award. The F-ALDinHE and SF-ALDinHE awards promote Learning Development as a profession in its own […]

Event date and time: Thursday 19th March 2026, 10.00 – 11.00 This event is hosted by the Mindfulness for Learning CoP. Workshop facilitator: Kathleen M Quinlan, PhD PFHEA, Honorary Professor of Higher Education, University of Kent Session description: The aim of this workshop is to prompt reflection, dialogue and increased attention to the whole person in higher education, particularly the emotions associated with learning and growing in higher education. It will draw on poems solicited by Kathleen for her book, How Higher Education Feels: Commentaries on Poems that Illuminate Emotions in Learning and Teaching (2016). As compact case studies, the […]

Event date and time: Wednesday 13th May 2026, 14.00 – 15.00 How can creativity enhance learning development? In what ways can learning development be made more inclusive and increase student engagement? Two senior lecturers from the Academic Support team at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London have developed an initiative, Radical Pedagogies, to explore inclusive models of participation and engagement. We focused on developing student-centred teaching materials that celebrate diversity and respect individuality. Our aims were to weave social justice, creativity and activism into teaching, making the educational experience more meaningful for students. By gathering materials centred […]

Event date and time: Thursday 12th February 2026, 15.00 – 16.00 This session showcases a significant increase in engagement, in response to an intervention targeting student dissertations at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. The school has a high proportion of Widening Participation students, with 49% disclosing a disability and many entering via non-A-level routes. Historically, in-person dissertation drop-ins had very low attendance, despite students expressing a need for support. In collaboration with course teams we embedded library-led online Q&A sessions into timetabled teaching, ensuring equitable access and reducing the stigma of requesting assistance. Following student […]

Event date and time: Wednesday 11 February 2026 1pm – 2pm Learning Developers all know what it’s like to experience doubts about what we are doing in our work: Is this possible? Am I allowed to do this? Is this the right thing to do? We are continually coming up against the limits of how we understand our practices, and how our practices are viewed by others – academic and professional staff, university administrators or the students themselves. Why won’t you proof-read my work? Could you please teach my first year engineers report writing in a 50 minute lecture slot […]

In this #Take5 post, members of the Learning Development community share reflections on how articles from the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE) have influenced their practice, shaped their professional identities, and broadened their perspectives. This reflective blog post connects to a forthcoming special issue of JLDHE exploring the theme of the reach, value, and impact of Learning Development. We invite you to read on and consider adding your own voice to this conversation. For submission details, please visit the special issue’s webpage. This blog post was brought to you by the following JLDHE Editorial Board members:  With […]

Event date and time: Thursday 19th March 2026, 14.00 – 15.00 Our presentation at ALDCon25 outlined a significant increase in requests for embedded teaching on AI, highlighting the challenges faced when creating sessions within the rapidly changing AI landscape, and the importance of meaningful dialogue with academic staff. This session will provide a brief overview of what was covered previously, discuss developments and invite perspectives from others. Since our presentation, it has become apparent that students’ increased awareness of, and openness about using AI belie their ability to utilise it appropriately in their studies. These changes in student behaviour and […]