I just put this on LinkedIn, but wanted to expand the list of highlights!
I’ve just been sat preparing my notebook for the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education Annual Conference 2026 next week. It’s been fun dipping into notes over the 10 previous conferences I’ve attended with the association. It’s crazy to see just how much ALDinHE has grown, but also to see just how much practice has revolutionised in some ways (i.e. AI) and remained the same in others (i.e. appointments ❤️).
Learning Development, with ALDinHE at its heart (for us in England) has become a community of practice that I love, with some amazing people I am grateful to call friends. It’s been joyous to research, write and edit with many of these people, and I’d like to think we’ve done some pretty cool things over that time.
As with any community, it isn’t just the practice, but it is the people and the places. Highlights over this time include:
- My first ALDcon in Plymouth (with Dave Cormier)
- A keynote with Etienne Wenger
- The mountainous climb in Exeter (🧗🏻♂️)
- Meeting Helen Caunce (Editor) in Huddersfield – 2014. All led to writing a book!
- Winning poster of the year with Jacqui Bartram for our Board Game/Poster (Leicester!)
- Ghosts walks in Edinburgh
- Hosting ALDcon at Hull in 2017 (our City of Culture year)
- The National Space Centre
- Dr Will Houston (a magician) as keynote online (and then entertainer Northampton)
- The shiny new Northampton Campus
- Winning Reviewer of the Year Award with JLDHE
- Melting (almost to death) in Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower
- Delivering the most surreal working with Debbie Holly and Carina Buckley on the metaverse (also Portsmouth!)
- Nearly braking my ankle in Greenwich
- Many impactful discussions with my fellow Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education Editors
…and over it all, about 1,000 ideas that have transformed my practice as a learner, as a learning developer, as a lecturer and as a human.
As the face:face component of the conference hit Leeds next week, I’m looking forward to some interesting sessions on advocacy, changing HE landscapes – and of course – AI. I also wonder what other experiences will come along the way.
While I’ve held many voluntary roles with ALDinHE over the years, this time I enter as a Steering Group Member, representing the new Advocacy Working Group that I co-chair with the amazing Dr Sonia Hood. If you are attending #ALDcon26 please do come and speak to us about advocacy, what we should be advocating for and where you’d like to see us go next.