2026 Curriculum Development Conference
Event date
- 10 September 2026
Join us for the 2026 Curriculum Development Conference - Curriculum Design Futures: Methods for Impact.
Places are limited. Register now and don't miss out.
About the conference
Welcome to our 2026 Curriculum Design Futures: Methods for Impact Conference, designed to advance exemplary curriculum design, development and evaluation practice in universities across the UK and internationally. This conference welcomes colleagues across the sector to share their insights on how they design and evaluate the impact of their own processes of curriculum development.
We are excited to launch a Pillars of Impact Framework for the Development and Evaluation of Curriculum Design which is one of the key outputs from a QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project led by Kingston University. Collaborative partners from the University of Brighton, Edinburgh, Staffordshire and Warwick will present their institutional case studies which bring to life how different aspects of the framework have been applied in their different institutional settings. We are delighted to virtually welcome our keynote speaker Dr Tim Fawns, Associate Professor from the Monash Education Academy, Monash University, Australia to discuss how curriculum change is led, enacted and shaped in response to the wider context and external drivers, particularly around AI in the curriculum.
Important dates
- Call for abstracts opens: 16 February 2026
- Registration opens: 9 March 2026
- Deadline for abstracts: 8 May 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 29 May 2026
Conference programme
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Welcome by Joanna MacDonnell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, Kingston University |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | Launch of the Pillars of Impact Framework and Case Studies for the Development and Evaluation of Curriculum Design by the QAA project enhancement team |
| 11:00 –12:00 | Keynote by Dr Tim Fawns, Associate Professor (Education-Focused), Monash Education Academy, Australia |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | 1st parallel sessions with mix of lighting talks and workshops |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | 2nd parallel sessions with mix of lighting talks and workshops |
| 15:15 – 16:15 | Closing panel |
The full programme will be available ahead of the conference.
Call for abstract
This conference is designed to advance exemplary curriculum design, development and evaluation practice in universities across the UK and internationally. This conference welcomes colleagues across the sector to share their insights on how they design and evaluate the impact of their own processes of curriculum development, bringing to the surface the often hidden and intangible labour involved which can be hard to measure.
We are inviting submissions around the following three key themes and areas of interest which focus on the people, the process and policy behind curriculum design and evaluation:
- Cross-functional teams and distributed leadership
- The role of learning designers, educational developers, and professional services
- Building institutional capability and shared language
- Co-creation with students and external partners
- Communicating impact to stakeholders
- Approaches and technologies for collaborative design
- Design thinking, agile methods, or iterative development
- Capturing cultural, organisational, and behavioural drivers of change
- Using evidence to inform strategic decision-making
- Evaluating design processes rather than curriculum content
- Anticipating emerging skills, technologies, and societal needs
- Designing for flexibility, resilience, and lifelong learning
- Aligning curriculum design with institutional strategy
- Case studies of institutional transformation
Submitting your abstract
We are really looking forward to hearing about the superb practice from all staff across the institution. We are looking for contributions for both workshops and 20-minute talks (insights from practice, case studies and short papers are welcome).
Please submit a 250-word abstract. For workshops, please include the aims, outcomes and suggested activities for engaging participants.
The deadline for submission is 8 May 2026.
If you have any questions about this call, please email the Conference Organisation Team.
Travel and accommodation
Travel
For information about travel, please visit our Penrhyn Road campus page.
For accessibility information, please visit AccessAble.
Hotels near Penrhyn Road, Town House
The following hotels are within walking distance or a short bus ride of the Penrhyn Road campus.
Please note: Accommodation is not included in conference registration, and participants are responsible for arranging their own bookings.
- Travelodge Kingston upon Thames Central (12 minutes on foot)
- Premier Inn London Kingston upon Thames (11 minutes on foot)
- Hotel Bosco – Bosco Hotel & Lounge (16 minutes on foot)
- DoubleTree by Hilton Kingston upon Thames (20 minutes on foot, 14 minutes by bus)
- The White Hart Hotel (Hampton Wick) (12 minutes on foot, 15 minutes by bus)
- The Queen’s Head (26 minutes on foot, 21 minutes by bus)
- Crowne Plaza London – Kingston upon Thames (29 minutes on foot, 12 minutes by bus)
- Warren House Hotel (24 minutes by bus)
Contact us
If you would like more information about this conference or have any questions to ask, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our Conference Organisation Team.
