Liverpool to host national learning technology conference for the first time

Professor Helen O’Sullivan, Associate PVC for Online Learning will be Co-chairing the Association for Learning Technology conference in September 2017.

Liverpool is to host the 24th Annual Association for Learning Technology conference in September 2017.

The conference will bring together practitioners, researchers and policy makers from across sectors to chart the development of Learning Technology from isolated islands of ‘innovation’ to becoming the new normal and the challenges this entails for staff and learners alike.

The key conference theme will be to explore the move from individual innovation to institutional integration at scale. The conference will be Co-Chaired by Professor Helen O’Sullivan, Associate PVC for Online Learning and Pete Alston, Lecturer in Learning Technology in the School of Life Sciences.

On a national stage

Dr Maren Deepwell, Chief Executive of the Association for Learning Technology said: “We are delighted to take the Association’s Annual Conference to University of Liverpool for the first time. The University is a hub for research, policy development and leadership in Learning Technology and we look forward to involving the local community in the event. ALT operates across sectors and in every part of the UK and we hope our members in Liverpool will join us in celebrating Learning Technology on a national stage in 2017”.

Co-Chair Helen O’Sullivan said: “I am really excited to be part of this opportunity to showcase our innovative and talented colleagues and the work that they do. Online learning and technology enhanced learning play a key part in our plans to deliver Strategy 2026 and this conference will cement Liverpool’s reputation as a centre of excellence for online learning and innovation”.

The announcement was made at this year’s ALT Conference at Warwick with the Co-Chairs and venue introduced at the last session.

For more information about ALT 2017 please visit: https://altc.alt.ac.uk/2017/ 

One thought on “Liverpool to host national learning technology conference for the first time

  1. Nicholas Dalby

    I am interested to note that you talk about ‘online learning’ and ‘technology enhanced learning’. The first I have grave doubts about and the second wholeheartedly agree with.

    From my experience the benefits are more for the provider to teach and not for the learner to learn. The Open University is finding a lot of disquiet about their approach to this system of online delivery. When asked for the research to prove their assumption that online teaching is better for the student to learn they have constantly failed to do so. Any health concerns regarding time at a screen are ignored and students are directed to ‘print on demand’.
    So far I have found more findings to disprove the benefits and some that say ‘could be beneficial’.
    I see online teaching as an aid but not the be all and end all.

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