Leeds' first Online Learning Summit welcomes virtual and in-person audiences
The University of Leeds hosted its first ever Online Learning Summit on 10th and 11th July 2023, bringing together a community of Higher Education leaders and online learning professionals from across the UK and beyond.
Taking place in the historic School of Music Centenary Concert Hall, the Summit explored how innovation and design can inform sustainable and scalable approaches to online education, with a focus on the specific needs of online learners.
Online Learning: Reimagined through design and innovation
As a fully hybrid event, both in-person and online audiences heard from specialists in learning design, artificial intelligence, lifelong learning and digital accessibility.
The agenda, curated by Margaret Korosec, Dean of Online and Digital Learning at the University of Leeds, included 15 interactive sessions with international speakers and panelists joining from the UK, USA, Australia, Mexico and Sudan.
Panellists discuss 'Ethics and AI' during a session by Donald Clark (right) chaired by Jo-Anne Murray (left), Pro-Vice Chancellor for Digital Education at the University of Leeds
An equitable experience for online attendees
A dedicated virtual venue was accessed by both online and in-person attendees, who engaged in live chat and submitted questions for Q&A sessions.
For those joining in Leeds, the event also included opportunities for networking with extended lunch breaks and an evening drinks reception taking place in HELIX, the University's new hub for innovation in digital education.
Left to right: Megan Kime, Head of the University of Leeds Digital Education Service; Bo Kelestyn, Associate Professor at the University of Warwick; Margaret Korosec, Dean of Online and Digital Education at the University of Leeds
During the breaks, attendees were encouraged to explore HELIX and trial its cutting-edge equipment, including VR demos using a state-of-the-art 360 degree treadmill.
Both audiences were invited to contribute to an Online Learning Summit podcast, hosted by Bo Kelestyn, Associate Professor from the University of Warwick.
A visual summary of each session was created by a live-scribe artist. The full set of summaries are available to view here.
A visual summary of Neil Mosley's opening session titled 'The UK Online Learning Landscape' shows a diagram of the different types of courses available and the online learning companies that are leading the industry