ITL Teaching and Learning Conference | Institute of Teaching and Learning | StaffNet

The University of Manchester Teaching and Learning Conference 2026

We are excited to announce that the dates for the University's fourth annual teaching and learning conference have been confirmed as 8th and 9th July 2026. The conference is open to all UoM staff and students, with flexible booking, and is free of charge. This year there will also be some limited external tickets available. Tickets will be available in April 2026

The conference provides an important opportunity for colleagues to share and learn about exemplary teaching and learning, equitable practice and as an essential platform for student voices. This year’s focus will be on:

Research-Informed Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning as Innovation
Social Justice in Teaching and Learning

The call for papers is now open. (see below)

Hybrid conference format

In our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, the 2026 conference will be a hybrid event. Attendees will have the flexibility to participate in plenaries and parallel sessions either in-person or livestreamed via YouTube. This format ensures that all members of our community, regardless of their location, can benefit from the knowledge-sharing and discussions. Just like last year's event, we will curate a legacy web resource showcasing the fabulous papers and contributions to the conference.

Open and free to attend

The conference is open to all staff and students at the University of Manchester, free of charge. It is an excellent chance for our community to come together, share insights, and learn from each other's experiences in advancing teaching and learning practices.

Call for Papers

Submissions are invited from individuals or teams and should be proposed in any of the following formats:

Wicked Problem Sets – 1 hour sessions in which the speaker(s) introduce an issue/big question linked to the themes of the conference with a brief presentation, before the participants act as an action learning set, joining in a roundtable discussion on the topic and putting together a summary of thoughts and recommendations at the end.

Standard paper presentations – paper presentation on a specific topic, 15 minutes in length with 5 minutes for questions.

Poster presentations – Posters will be exhibited during the conference and presenters will be asked to give a short spoken presentation on their poster. Posters will also be made available via an online gallery after the conference.

Lightning talks – up to 5 minutes, max 20 slides submitted. These should be short, snappy papers which present the essence of an activity, initiative, a pedagogic passion, or about something that went really well or something that didn’t work out in your teaching and learning.

Submissions should be submitted using this online form where you will be asked:

To outline who is participating (name of presenters, whether presenters include students, email address of lead contact, and the part of the University you are based in).
Which conference theme your paper predominantly addresses.
Which format your presentation will be in.
The title of your submission.
To provide an apprx 250 words (maximum 1,500 characters) which will be anonymously assessed by the paper committee. Abstracts should include:
- A consideration of effective practice around inclusion, accessibility and equity.
- An explanation of how the submission is collaborative with students or shows an awareness of impact on students.
- An explanation of how the submission meets the selected conference theme/s.
- An explanation of how the submission might have wider resonances beyond the conference (e.g. how it might impact policy or practice sector-wide, how it might spark innovation or connections in your field, how it speaks to UN Sustainable Development Goals).
Whether you wish to opt out of your submission being recorded.
Your availability for the two days of the conference.

Submit your proposal here. Deadline for submissions: Friday 27th February, 5pm.

We will be running a workshop on how to write your abstract through the Institute of Teaching & Learning Open Workshop Programme on Thursday 12th Feb 2026, 11-12pm. (Register here)

You can find examples of accepted abstracts from last year’s conference here.