Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 18:00
Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 18:00
1121 Ashton Old Road, Openshaw, Manchester, M11 1AA, United Kingdom.
UKMC is committed to advancing teaching excellence and creating an inclusive learning environment where every student belongs, engages meaningfully, and prepares for successful futures. This conference provides a dedicated academic forum to strengthen pedagogic practice across the institution and to share effective approaches that respond to the diverse needs of our students.
The UKMC Teaching & Learning Conference 2026 brings together educators, academic leaders, and invited higher education practitioners to explore how inclusive, engaging, and career-focused teaching can shape the future of student success. The conference offers a structured academic space for evidence-informed pedagogic dialogue, the sharing of effective practice across disciplines, and the exchange of innovative approaches to learning and teaching.
Theme: Inclusive and Career-Ready Learning: Enhancing Student Belonging, Engagement and Success in Higher Education.
This year's conference addresses the critical challenge of creating learning environments where all students feel valued, supported, and equipped for meaningful progression into their careers. Through keynote insights, interactive workshops, student voice panels, and shared practice, participants will explore how to strengthen belonging, deepen engagement, and embed career readiness throughout the curriculum.
Professor Jason Arday, Professor of Sociology of Education, University of Cambridge, will deliver the keynote address exploring race, inequality, and inclusion in higher education.
Staff wellbeing and its impact on teaching effectiveness
Historical teaching observation findings and UKMC teaching and learning priorities
Celebrating and amplifying the student voice at UKMC
Best practice in embedding employability within curricula
External best practice in teaching and learning from the higher education sector
CIC (Community and Inclusion) perspectives on employability and inclusion
Linguistic inclusion and multilingual pedagogies: responding to diverse student populations Inclusive teaching practice across disciplines Student Engagement Panel: student representation, voice, and co-creation of the learning experience
External teaching innovation perspective from the sector
Supporting the development of academic English proficiency
Innovative use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and interactive tools (Kahoot) in teaching
Reflection on key themes, institutional priorities, and recognition of outstanding poster submissions and contributions.
Professor of Sociology of Education, University of Cambridge
Professor Arday is an established scholar whose work examines education, social inequality, race, and representation within higher education. His research focuses on structural barriers to participation and progression in academia, with particular attention to the experiences of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students and staff. He has held academic appointments at several leading UK universities including Roehampton, Durham, and Glasgow. Beyond his research and teaching, he plays an active role in national policy work. He is a Trustee of the Runnymede Trust and the British Sociological Association, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His work continues to inform sector-wide conversations on inclusion, academic culture, and equitable access to higher education.
Provost & Chief Academic Officer, UKMC
Professor Powell is Board Director and Provost of UKMC, serving as Chief Academic Officer and Senior Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In this role, he provides strategic leadership across the College's academic and educational functions, with responsibility for academic standards, curriculum development, quality assurance, pedagogy, teaching and learning, staff professional development, student experience, and regulatory compliance. His leadership is grounded in a strong commitment to academic integrity, professional ethics, and institutional responsibility. He has held a wide range of senior academic and executive leadership roles within higher education, including President and Chief Executive Officer of the Manchester Institute of Learning and Excellence, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Crown University International, and Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Crescent College Birmingham. Earlier in his career, he served as Dean, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor, Director of Admissions, and Full Professor at both Russell Group and post-1992 universities. He has an extensive record of academic scholarship and research leadership, with numerous publications and externally funded research projects. He holds several international honorary and adjunct professorial appointments.
Academic Dean & Board Director, UKMC
Dr Naeem holds a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Worcester and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Gloucestershire, alongside MBA qualifications from the University of Sunderland and the Virtual University of Pakistan. His professional formation includes senior leadership qualifications awarded by the Chartered Management Institute, reflecting his expertise in strategic leadership, coaching, mentoring, and organisational development. As Academic Dean at UKMC, he holds responsibility for academic leadership, curriculum oversight, quality assurance, and the development of teaching, research, and academic services. He maintains an active research profile with publications across marketing, consumer behaviour, and management studies. His work examines themes including consumer behaviour, digital and interactive technologies, customer experience, and contemporary marketing practice. At UKMC, he plays a central role in fostering research-informed teaching, supporting academic staff, and cultivating an institutional culture that emphasises opportunity, inclusion, and student success.
Lecturer in HRM & Organisational Behaviour, De Montfort University
Dr Anlesinya is a multi-award-winning researcher, educator, and consultant specialising in sustainability, work, human resource management, and strategy. He is a Research Fellow of the United Nations SDG Impact Hub. His research focuses on talent management, sustainable human resource management, decent work, responsible leadership, and wider societal challenges, with work closely aligned with global sustainability and development agendas. He has published extensively, contributing to nearly 50 academic outputs including journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers. Dr Anlesinya has received multiple international awards for research excellence and has been recognised for his contributions to teaching, including nominations for Student Choice Teaching Awards. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is actively engaged in international research collaboration, doctoral training, and knowledge exchange with both academic and external partners.
