On Friday 10 April 2026, Regent College London (RCL) hosted its annual Learning and Teaching Conference at our Fitzrovia Campus, chaired by Joanne Hooker, Associate Provost.
Now firmly established as a cornerstone of RCL’s academic calendar, the conference brings colleagues together from across our Schools to share ideas, research and reflections on the evolving role of educators within modern higher education. Through keynote presentations, lightning talks and collaborative discussions, the event provides an invaluable opportunity to celebrate innovation in teaching and learning while strengthening our academic community.
This year’s theme – “Enhancing Practice, Evidencing Impact, Developing Communities” – focused on how educators can enrich the student experience while creating meaningful, lasting impact within wider communities. Across the day, speakers explored innovative approaches to inclusive teaching, student engagement and professional development.
Bringing educators together to share best practice
We were delighted to welcome Professor Patrick McGhee, Assistant Vice Chancellor at the University of Greater Manchester (UoGM), as this year’s keynote speaker. His presentation, “The Psychology of Feedback”, examined the emotional and relational dimensions of feedback in higher education.
A familiar and highly valued contributor to previous RCL conferences, Professor McGhee explored how feedback can influence not only confidence and motivation, but also identity, beliefs and social connections. His interactive session encouraged participants to reflect on how these dynamics shape their own experiences as both educators and learners.
We were also pleased to welcome Dr Sarah Telfer, Associate Teaching Professor at UoGM, alongside Amy Dyer, Professional Development Practitioner and CPD Coordinator. Their session, Stories that Stick: Building a Culture of Shared Professional Learning, explored how sharing continuing professional development (CPD) experiences can strengthen teaching practice, enhance professional identity and foster a more positive institutional culture.
During their presentation, they also introduced UoGM’s Centre for Higher Education Research and Practice (CHERP) platform – a collaborative space dedicated to sharing best practice, insights and authentic teaching experiences.
In addition, the conference welcomed back Karen Taylor from Advance HE, who presented Supporting Inclusive, Impactful Teaching: How Advance HE Enhances Practice Across the Sector, offering practical insight into strengthening inclusive teaching practice across higher education.
Research presentations from across RCL Schools
A major highlight of the conference was the breadth of contributions from across RCL’s Schools of Business, Law, Engineering and Computing, and Health and Sports Science. Here are just a few examples.
Belonging before skills: Integrating personal development into academic skills provision for mature and non-traditional students
Ruheena Thasin, Lecturer in our School of Business, presented this practice-based paper that explored the pedagogic value of integrating personal development into academic skills provision for mature and non-traditional students in post-Covid-19 higher education.
Impact of culturally inclusive practices on psychological safety of culturally diverse students
Dr Inga Olari, Programme Leader in our School of Law, shared research that considers the impact of psychological safety – the perception that one can express ideas, concerns or identity without fear of negative consequences – on specific culturally inclusive practices among culturally diverse students in educational institutions.
Recentring internal quality assurance on the student learning experience: The PLEX-QA approach
Syed Muhammad Raza, Lecturer in our School of Engineering and Computing, and Shan Ali, Lecturer in our School of Business, explored how internal quality assurance (QA) in higher education is often expected to improve learning and teaching, ensure fairness in assessment, support student achievement and enhance institutional reputation. They argued that this multi-goal framing can obscure what internal QA can most realistically and effectively achieve.
Their paper proposes PLEX-QA (Primary Learning Experience–Centred Quality Assurance) as an alternative approach that recentres internal QA around a single organising principle: the quality of the student learning experience.
Evaluating a storytelling teaching intervention to enhance engagement and achievement for widening participation students
While storytelling is increasingly recognised as a powerful pedagogical approach, much of the higher education literature remains descriptive rather than empirically evaluative.
This study by our School of Health and Sports Science’s Dr Alicja McGarrigle (Senior Lecturer), Dr Michal Lytovka (Lecturer) and Elisabet Fiz Borg (Lecturer) addressed that gap by examining whether a structured storytelling intervention can measurably enhance engagement, achievement and academic self-efficacy among widening participation students.
Showcasing scholarship across the College community
In addition to this exciting conference programme, attendees were also treated to a special early launch of Issue 13 of RCL’s Research and Scholarship Digest – a compelling selection of papers authored by RCL academics, demonstrating the breadth of the scholarly work taking place within our community.
Reflecting on the event, Dr Anna Wharton, Head of Academic Training and Development, said:
“The Learning and Teaching Conference 2026 was an inspiring celebration of the innovation, passion and scholarship that exists across Regent College London. It was fantastic to see colleagues engage so thoughtfully with this year’s theme and share ideas that will continue to shape inclusive, impactful teaching and learning across our community.”
Congratulations to everyone involved in delivering this year’s engaging and thought-provoking conference. The event was a fantastic showcase of the academic excellence that continues to shape the RCL community.
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