The University of Greater Manchester’s TIRIAE Conference 2025 took place on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 September.
Named after the University’s vision as a Teaching-Intensive, Research-Informed and Assessment-Enabled institution, the TIRIAE Conference celebrates innovation, collaboration and excellence in higher education.
Attendees enjoyed an enriching programme of keynote speakers, research showcases, workshops, presentations and lightning talks.
Alongside the University’s own academic and professional services staff, the event welcomed leading external researchers, practitioners and leaders. This created space for diverse and engaging conversations about the future of higher education.
Many of this year’s contributions focused on research, knowledge exchange and applied pedagogy. However, as this conference marks the University’s first since adopting the name of the University of Greater Manchester (UoGM), there was also a focus on exploring their commitment to a new structure and philosophy of teaching delivery.
An inspiring partnership
Regent College London (RCL) has been a proud partner institution of UoGM for many years. We were delighted to be represented by a team of RCL academics at the conference, who delivered 17 presentations over the two-day event.
Each was supported by RCL’s Academic Staff Development and Scholarship Funding Scheme, which funds staff development, scholarship and research to inform teaching and curriculum design.
Additionally, Dr Morris Anglin, RCL’s Dean of Health and Sports Science, was presented with the Best Lightning Talk Award for his case study, “Protecting inclusion in times of change: Supporting a student with multiple comorbidities through co-production and trauma-informed practice”.
A lightning talk is a short presentation that focuses on a few key points and has a time limit. Dr Sarah Telfer, Associate Teaching Professor at UoGM, organised these sessions at the TIRIAE Conference 2025, and had this to say about Dr Anglin’s achievement:
“Morris Anglin’s lightning talk provided a powerful case study of how inclusive pedagogy, trauma-informed practice and co-production can support student success during institutional change. The presentation highlighted tailored strategies such as flexible assessment, consistent mentoring and emotional scaffolding, all co-designed with the student. Particularly impactful was the emphasis on continuity of staff-student relationships and treating flexibility as a standard rather than an exception, in line with the QAA Inclusive Framework (2023).”
Having successfully applied for an Innovative Practice Grant from Advance HE to fund this case study, Dr Anglin’s award reinforces the importance of sharing success stories about higher education projects that demonstrably impact student outcomes.
This achievement followed another milestone for Dr Anglin, who was awarded a Principal Fellowship (PFHEA) in June 2025 with the support of RCL’s Academic Staff Development and Scholarship Funding Scheme.
A collaborative spirit
The TIRIAE Conference 2025 was an inspiring and inclusive event with a diverse programme celebrating the institution’s dedication to academic excellence. Reflecting on the conference, Paul Williams, Director of Scholarship and Research at RCL, said:
“In line with Regent College London’s commitment to create an academic environment and culture which is teaching-focused, scholarship-engaged and research-informed, it’s pleasing to see so many academics from the College participate in the University of Greater Manchester’s TIRIAE Conference 2025, particularly as both institutions believe in the importance of fostering collaborative, interdisciplinary partnerships and knowledge sharing.”
Meanwhile, Conference Director Mark Holland said:
“This year, off-campus colleagues joined us in record numbers, especially from Regent College London; they brought a feel-good factor and showcased superb examples of teaching and learning. The important thing now is for us to consolidate our newly found friendships and collaborate on future projects.”
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