Learning Without Edges: My Takeaways from #ALTC26 in Cardiff

I had luxury at ALTC this year to get into lots of sessions without worrying about what was happening back at my institution - now I am a free agent. All sessions I went along to were busy and highly relevant but with a range of parallel sessions I always have a bit of fear of missing out.

Great line up of exhibitors - as College body encouraged them to work with UFI Vocational Trust to find ways into the College and vocational landscape. Knowing the realitiies of College budgets, a lot of College focus will be on driving the most out of systems they have access to rather than buying in more technology.

Sure too as the PHP issue unfolded on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning some folks would be going back to a firestorm of plugins to update. I am glad I missed that too.
This year’s overarching theme—"Learning without Edges" was particularly timely and tied in well too with pre-conference I attended. Life Long Learning is really back on the UK agenda.

We are all navigating a rapid shift across job markets, digital infrastructure, and student expectations, the focus wasn't just on shiny tech, but on how digital pedagogy can dissolve barriers and create adaptable, resilient learning ecosystems for all.

Here are my takeaways from two days in Wales.

1. Moving Beyond the AI Hype: Embedded Pedagogy & Integrity

Rather than isolating Artificial Intelligence into its own separate strand, #ALTC26 embedded AI throughout the entire program, focusing on practical application, academic integrity, and AI literacy. It is great that we have moved passed the AI right or wrong discussion.

 
The Sessions: Highlights included discussions around Agentic AI and the Student Experience 2026, which looked at how autonomous AI tutors are replacing basic chatbots, alongside sessions showing how conversational bots can support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) without overwhelming teaching staff.

Key Takeaway: AI is no longer a separate conversation; it should be part of every aspect of curriculum design and assessment strategy. ( this will take a while)

Reflections
I attended workshop with BlueTrain team from France it was an excellent workshop based game around changing assessment strategies to reflect the new world driven by AI and a presentation from ODEA who are rolling out a tool developed initially at Eindhoven University. Based initially on Gemini, now using Mistral, ( European Sovereign AI ) it is a local agent fed on an index of actual course materials designed to give learners individualised support. I also enjoyed session from Kortext again at a price mapping content to provide individualised support in a controlled way.

Lots of useful courses are appearing for staff development - and good use of Open Practice emerging in Ireland .

I am up to speed with Jisc work around Beyond Blended - really worth tuning into. I went along instead to workshops around the edges on Vibe Coding learning materials and around building AI agents. Jisc have been so key in supporting community in moving things forward. A really key ally of ALT.

I do wonder how well institutional IT teams are adjusting to this brave new world of AI agents - when will curriculum teams and students get access to these tools - or will it all be shadow IT. Think there is big bit of work needed here around managing cost of AI credits etc and building up IT teams confidence around using AI to support whole institution. There is some excellent work happening here from Jisc - both on ensuring harmony between IT and Learning Technology Teams and on not getting carried away by AI hype and making sensible procurement decisions around governance and cost cotrol of AI systems .

Within Canvas for instance on the knowledge base contained with a course a lot of this AI enablement is already possible.

2. Experiencing the Friction: Student Agency & Participatory Learning

One of the strongest recurring beats of the conference was making sure student voices sit at the center of digital transformation, not as passive end-users, but as co-designers.
The Sessions: Interactive workshops like "Be the Student for an Hour" put delegates directly into simulated digital learning environments to reveal hidden points of cognitive overload, accessibility gaps, and design friction.

Key Takeaway: Institutions scaling successful digital strategies actively involve students in tool procurement, interface testing, and learning space design. Think we all have a way to go here on Co-Design.

Reflections

These were great workshops but we have a long way to go here. Platforms tend to be selected on how they fit with existing institutional models, Students rarely have a voice. The opening session led by students highlighted how important truly flexible delivery is along with digital skills and simple pathways that allow learners to login and access all the right tools in the one place.

The right tool is single sign on, supports accessibility , learning design , microcredentials, eportfolio , offers AI support when needed - and can serve both learners within institution but can also open up content and learning experiences to those beyond the institution.

There was a session around how to bring learning design into making 2hr lectures more interactive - thought that highlighted how far we still have to travel. Brickfield Labs led a very simple session around challenges of accessibility of basic content. It is worth running this exercise ( and note to self check accessibility of this piece)

UCL demoed a simple co-pilot , .MD file driven tool that can provide better accessible descriptions of charts than for instance those automatically generated by Power Point.

I enjoyed session on slow learning that encouraged us to use tools and design learning not for efficiency but for flourishing

"where is technology enhancing, hindering, and transforming our experiences, and how can we take agency over the use of existing and emerging tools not for efficiency or automation alone, but for our own individual flourishing "

3. Accessibility as Core Culture, Not a Checklist

Digital accessibility remained a core pillar of the conversation, shifting from basic compliance toward embedded daily workflow habits.
The Sessions: Real-world case studies showcased institutional frameworks (such as Manchester's accessibility model) that empower educators to create accessible resources natively within their VLEs rather than retrofitting content later. Good use of Canvas as underlying platform.

Key Takeaway: Accessibility works best when it is automated, supported by institution-wide culture, and framed as essential universal design.

Reflections

There is a growing number of tools to make accessibility simply part of the workflow and to audit and upgrade existing content. I think challenge is still around staff skills and intent. It was good to here BrickField Labs updates in this area and see Manchester University's approach using Canvas. 

4. Community, Connectivity & 20 Years of ALT Awards

Beyond the formal presentations, ALTC26 was a celebration of community connection. It marked the 20th anniversary of the ALT Awards, recognising individuals, teams, and projects that have driven meaningful digital innovation over the past two decades. It is great to catch up with the community.

What’s Next? Other useful bits

• Leaving Cardiff, my key take aways are :Explore and add some of my publications to https://zenodo.org/ and see how Mistral AI stacks up against Claude, CoPilot and Gemini.
• Really liked an example of using AI Co-Pilot to create a 360 degree image that was then used in Thinglink to create a learning exercise.
• Refocus on Co-Pilot and Gemini - where Colleges are at - I have some workshops to deliver in that space.
• Follow up and support some of great folks and organisations I engaged with.
• Do a blog post reflecting on another great ALT conference - job done.

Year Two over the Top : Post Summer Blog Catch Up #OER26

I am still pinching myself that I'm not back in the trenches for a fraught start of term.

I've moved on a lot since last year, and the work keeps evolving. 

All the very best to all who are back for a new session. 

I had a busy end to my part-time consulting year!  And then a useful chance to simply potter about and reflect. Had great fun watching World Cup too in Scotland and France. 

I am a few blog posts behind. 

Here is a quick look at what I’ve been up to:

• Holyrood Communications: I had the privilege of speaking on the transformative role of AI in Education, exploring both the opportunities and challenges it brings for learners and teachers. Mainly how assessment needs to change. But have a close look at the presentation on skills you and learners need to develop to make the most of AI tools.
  
  
• #OER26: Connected with the open education community to share ideas and insights on the future of open educational resources. I focused on the practical things that open education advocates and their organisations should be doing to be open. Extended blog to follow.

• Very timely as the Scottish Government has finally got behind Open Practice. Caught up too over the summer with the team leading on this work. Worth a read - if I was still working at a public body or at an institutional level I'd be figuring out how we start the journey towards sharing more resources publicly with an appropriate open licence and discussing this with all stakeholders. 
  
  
  The #openscot community and Association for Learning Technology have lots of experts on hand who could help.

• Quality Systems: Delivered a session for Northampton College on familiar territory of quality systems internal and external quality assurance for their engineering academic team. 

• Île de Ré: Balanced the busy schedule with a fantastic summer break on the French coast, enjoying the quiet beaches, cycling routes, food, wine, and plenty of sunshine (perhaps too hot this year).

• Glasgow Commonwealth Games: Spent an unforgettable time volunteering on the ground, soaking in the vibrant energy of the events. Some memorable moments: the Ugandan team (on a rainy day)  telling me how beautiful Scotland was in the autumn and being surprised it was summer.  The Cook Islands team singing and playing their music on their hotel balcony each evening.   Above all, working with a great set of volunteers and welcoming so many different people into the City of Glasgow. 

• RSA Scotland: Supported the Commonwealth Reception in Trades House of Glasgow, engaging in fantastic conversations with fellows and partners celebrating regional and international connections and handing the baton on to the Indian delegation. 

• Mentoring: Continued supporting senior leaders on driving change, leveraging digital tools while staying human, and leading authentically. If you role-play being a rotter, you risk getting stuck in that mode, and we have more than enough angry leaders in the world right now!

Looking forward to ALTC in Cardiff, meeting new ALT Scotland Exec members, and supporting Instructure Canvas (including Canvas Con in November) and moving on a few other projects that will keep me occupied into the new year. 

Learning Technology – The State of the Nation ALT ( Association for Learning Technology) Scottish Regional Special Interest Group

This is a part report on proceedings at Stirling and an annual report from the special interest group. The hybrid gathering at Stirling was our 2nd event of the academic year. 

In early May, we held an online 'Two Stars and a Wish' event looking at the broad trends within the Scottish learning technology landscape.  

At Stirling, we focused on public bodies, policy, and sector initiatives related to learning technology. 

The agenda and links to presentations are on the agenda and in the event Padlet. Special thanks to all who joined us at Stirling and or online. 

My own short takes on items. 

Forgive any of my own bias and dig into the links and notes for your own take on proceedings. 

• Jisc Innovation Hub is a great central venue - many thanks, Jason Miles-Campbell, for hosting us.  
• ALT - Looking forward to seeing the new version of CMALT, OER26, and ALTC in Cardiff. Great to have Susan Martin, CEO, along virtually and look forward to seeing her in Scotland at future events. 
• Education Scotland: Great updates on guidance and support going into schools to support digital learning and AI guardrails - learners will be arriving at Colleges and universities with ever-heightened expectations.  Still a challenge: national policy implemented with 32 different local authority flavours. 
• College Development Network - some really good work is going on developing staff skills around AI - overall sense that students, particularly, have been terrified by some institutional messaging and that AI use has not perhaps moved on from the assumption that it allows more than sophisticated web searches. 
• Jisc has so much great support, which is too often not being used or overlooked by the sector.  I particularly like the digital benchmarking surveys of institutional digital transformation. 
• Some great updates from Scotland's Tertiary Enhancement Projects delivered in conjunction by QAA and CDN. My view would be useful with a bit more focus on digital. 
• Lee Dunn, Head of Scottish Digital Academy, laid out Scotland's Digital strategy and the critical role that Colleges, Universities, and learning technologists have in delivering this.  They are, among other things, advocating an open educational approach to developing and sharing resources. There was also an open invitation

 "Anyone wishing to get involved in the discovery work and planning for OER and the Model of Professional Learning can email digitalacademy@gov.scot, and we will note their interest, reaching out to them once we’re ready to engage." 

• Theo from QS (Qualifications Scotland ). The consensus Policy needs to move fast, but it must remain equitable and grounded in what educators and learners actually experience. Guidance is basically sound, but still misinterpreted by teaching staff.  Qualifications Scotland cannot change the assessment landscape on its own. 
• Rosemarie gave a good update on SCAITEN - still looking for some institutional reps with focus on taking an ethical tertiary approach to AI .
• Caroline brought it back to practical application, showcasing "The Stirling Approach" to blended learning. Seeing how Stirling intentionally weaves these digital tools into curriculum design and delivery created a useful debate. 

Finally, my thanks to the ALT Scotland steering group.  We have been following a similar schedule for the last five years;  steering group meetings in autumn and spring, with events scheduled around March/ April and one in June. I've got some new volunteers for the steering group who I will introduce at first meeting in the autumn. 

ALT Scotland Update – May 2026 Two Stars and a Wish.

In early May, we convened an online 2 Stars and a Wish Session with members of the Association for Learning Technology across Scotland. We had an active and useful discussion around themes and burning issues - and mostly our hopes for the future.  

Scotland’s digital learning landscape is shifting in ways that matter deeply for ALT members. Across AI, open practice, digital capability, and national reform, the sector is innovating, but unevenly; collaboration is strengthening, but still fragile; and the gap between policy ambition and operational reality remains stubborn.

Our next gathering will be hybrid, with both face-to-face and online options. Hosted at Jisc Innovation Hub at the University of Stirling on 12th of June - book here. 

And our wishes -

Better Assessment Design: A hope that AI disruption finally forces institutions to rethink outdated, surface‑level assessment practices.

Broader ALT Scotland Engagement: A desire to bring more colleagues into the ALT Scotland community, too many are still missing out on the support, camaraderie, and shared expertise.

More Thoughtful Use of AI vs OER: A call for educators to recognise when AI is helpful — and when a well‑chosen OER or public‑domain resource is the better, safer, or more transparent choice.

 A More Open System: A strong plea to move beyond “It’s all on SharePoint, unfortunately.” Members want institutions to enable external sharing, embrace open platforms, and reduce unnecessary barriers to collaboration.

 And a quick personal summary reflection on initial provocations - any omissions are my own. See Padlet for all links. (Both Padlets are now frozen)

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1. Digital Capability: Progress, but still too slow

The Digital Skills Development Scoping Report (2025) continues to shape conversations about workforce readiness across colleges. It highlights what many ALT members already know: capability is improving, but the system lacks coherence, shared frameworks, and visible institutional and national leadership.

The ongoing Tertiary System workstream has real potential to address this, but only if outputs are openly published and actively used. Transparency here would make a tangible difference to practitioners.

Meanwhile, The Data Lab’s Education Community is emerging as a valuable cross‑sector space for data and AI practice. It’s early, but it could become a key partner for ALT Scotland.

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2. AI in Education: Between grassroots realism and global critique

AI remains the dominant theme, but the conversation is maturing.

• The Scottish AI in Tertiary Education Network (SCAITEN) making great progress in providing an informed position on AI for Colleges and Universities across Scotland.
• AICE.scot, led by Stuart Caddell, is one of the most grounded, practitioner‑led initiatives in Scotland. It’s pragmatic, classroom‑focused, and aligned with the realities of Scottish schools. FE/HE should be paying attention.
• Helen Beetham’s “AI Can Fail You” is resonating strongly with ALT members — a reminder that criticality must sit alongside innovation.
• Timnit Gebru’s work at DAIR continues to expose the structural risks in the global AI ecosystem. For a sector dependent on vendor tools, this critique is not optional reading.
• Jisc’s National Centre for AI remains a key source of guidance, though institutions are still wrestling with implementation.

The overall picture: There is some confident experimenting happening, but the ethical and infrastructural questions are getting louder. There are challenges to the best use of local AI solutions that need to be overcome in partnership with IT colleagues and with students.

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3. Academic Integrity & Assessment: Normalisation underway

• Across universities, AI‑supported academic work is becoming normalised rather than feared.
• Northampton’s GenAI assessment guidance
• Edinburgh’s subject‑level guidance
• A growing set of open resources on copyright, public‑domain images, and AI‑generated media

These are practical, aligned, open, and increasingly shareable, exactly the kind of cross‑institutional consistency ALT Scotland has long advocated for.

4. Open Education: A renewed moment for Scotland

Open practice is gaining momentum again, and ALT members are at the centre of it.

• Edinburgh’s TILT toolkit is a strong, interdisciplinary OER contribution.
• Jisc’s Open Policy Finder is becoming essential for policy alignment.
• UCL’s ABC Learning Design resources remain widely adopted across FE and HE.
• Edinburgh’s Open Education Week shows what a mature institutional open culture looks like.
• If you are doing work in the open follow #openscot example and get your work on the OERWorldMap.

With Creative Commons celebrating 25 years, it’s a timely reminder that open licensing underpins everything from AI training to resource reuse.

We had a good discussion around 'sharepoint', it can enable external sharing, but this is normally disabled.

5. AI for OER Discovery: A promising pilot

The Jisc–Sylla pilot exploring AI‑driven OER discovery is one to watch. If it can deliver transparent, licence‑accurate search, it could transform how materials are found and reused. But the risks, hallucinated attributions, opaque sourcing, remain real.

6. ALT Developments: A more integrated ecosystem

• ALT itself is evolving in ways that matter for Scotland:
• OER26 is approaching
• ALT and DLI have announced a strategic partnership
• AmplifyFE is now an ALT Special Interest Group
• The arrival of a refreshed CMALT is imminent

These shifts strengthen ALT’s FE presence and create clearer pathways for professional recognition.

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7. Wider Sector Signals

A few additional developments shaping the landscape:

• Jisc Connect More (12–13 May) – free, online, and increasingly influential
• SFC’s College Sector of the Future – early but important
• Jisc’s Manifesto for Tertiary Education in Scotland – a bold attempt to shape national direction
• UCISA’s VLE Review Toolkit – outputs will be essential for procurement cycles
• DataFest – expensive, but consistently strong, some great global speakers. 
• We Are Open Co‑op – closing after years of thoughtful sector support. Worth having a look and their fantastic legacy. 

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What this means for ALT Scotland

Across all these threads, a few strategic implications stand out:

• ALT Scotland is uniquely placed to convene the cross‑sector conversations others aren’t hosting.
• Grassroots innovation (AICE.scot, open practice communities, practitioner networks) is outpacing national strategy.
• AI is both enabling and destabilising — and the sector needs a shared, critical, Scottish voice.
• Open practice is becoming the backbone of responsible digital education.
• The tertiary reform agenda needs more visibility and more practitioner input.

ALT Scotland’s role is clear: connect, challenge, and amplify — ensuring Scotland’s digital learning community shapes the future rather than reacts to it.

Recording of Session Here