One aim of the AHEP’s Student Experience and Engagement SIG is to make it easier for those working in this field to seek and share best practice.

To help achieve this, we’ve compiled a list of events and conferences related to student experience that are taking place this year.

If you spot any events that you think we’ve missed from this list please get in touch with Chris Whitehead (Deputy Network Coordinator) to let us know!

Be sure to also keep an eye on AHEP’s event listings.

AHEP South and Student Experience and Engagement Networks: Applying coaching to enhance students’ autonomy, confidence and independence with Ann Qian, Lecturer at the University of Chester (AHEP)
5 November, 12:30 – 1:30pm

How best to engage and motivate our students in their university study. With the landscape change of HEIs it is important to reflect on engagement practice and using the coaching method to shift their mindset, explore options/possibilities and motivation students to take responsibilities to achieve a better outcome.

More information and bookings.

Assessment and Feedback Symposium 2024 (AdvanceHE)

5 November

In an ever-changing world, where technology is constantly evolving, the mechanisms to assess our students’ work frequently change and provide us with both new opportunities and new challenges. This symposium, now in its fifth year, will consider how we can harness technology to improve our practices, explore means to overcome barriers and collaborate with students as co-creators to ensure parity of assessment for our students.

More information and bookings.

The Festival of Higher Education
12 – 13 November

Brought to you by Wonkhe and the University of London, The Festival of Higher Education will bring together higher education leaders, opinion-formers, and wonks of all types to discuss the biggest issues facing universities today.

More information and bookings.

The art of bringing creativity and fun into the classroom (Times Higher Education)
21 November, 11:00-12:00

Learn how to get creative with your teaching and inject a sense of fun into the classroom for better student outcomes, from experienced educators at Campus+ partner universities in the UK.

More information and bookings.

Student Success 2024 Conference (HE Professional)

27 November

Student Success 2024 will explore how universities can build an evidence-led approach to engagement, continuation and completion with impactful academic and service design at all stages of the student journey.

More information and bookings.

Widening Participation Conference 2024 (HE Professional)
5 December

The Widening Participation Conference 2024 will focus on how providers can deliver impact following the submission of Access and Participation Plans and explore how to support continuous improvement in reducing risks to equality of opportunity.

More information and bookings.

AHEP Student Experience and Engagement SIG Coffee Break: National Student Survey (AHEP)

12 December, 15:00-16:00

Save the date – more information coming soon!

AHEP Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025 (AHEP)

1 – 3 June 2025

More information and bookings.

To stay up-to-date with more news on everything related to Student Experience and Engagement, make sure that you’ve joined the SIG and signed up to our Jiscmail list.

The following conferences and events have now passed, but many may repeat again in 2025 – so keep an eye out for them.

Mental Health in Higher Education Conference
31 January, 9:30am – 1:45pm

Despite increased understanding and awareness, 1 in 3 students report having poor mental wellbeing whilst enrolled in higher education. Join Westminster Insight’s Mental Health in Higher Education Conference for guidance and practical solutions that will help you improve access to services and support for students.

Students as Co-creators Symposium 2024: What Works?
31 January, 9am – 4:30pm

The active participation of students in co-creating their learning experience can add value and insights to the student experience for students, staff and their institutions, however authentic and inclusive co-creation can be challenging to achieve. Advance HE’s first co-creation symposium in January 2023 explored key principles underlying co-creation and the potential benefits for those involved. In this second symposium, we want to critically explore the factors that contribute to success in co-creation, across all areas of the university experience.

Aspiring Academic Registrars
31 January, 9:15am – 4:00pm

Spend the day with ARC Registrars to see how you can get ahead in registry services. You may be planning for the role of Academic Registrar (or equivalent) as your next career move, or maybe you are already planning for this in a few years’ time. We can help!

Developing Your Professional Capabilities
7 February, 9:30am – 1pm

This online workshop is designed to help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in your career as a HE professional. The workshop focuses on increasing your self-awareness through reflection and developing professional capabilities. You will learn how to leverage a reflective tool to explore your strengths and areas for development. Additionally, we’ll explore different approaches to career development and strategies to make the most of them.

Tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents 2024
8 February, 9am – 5pm

This annual, highly-regarded national conference will explore the key recent developments and sector progress in tackling violence, harassment and hate incidents in higher education. Don’t miss out on this crucial chance to engage with sector-leading experts, as well as from other organisations and the third sector.

AMOSSHE Winter Conference 2024
9 February, 9:30am – 4:30pm

This professional development conference for Student Services leaders in higher education explores making an impact on student wellbeing, continuation and success through establishing roles and boundaries in relation to student support and understanding our students and services using data.

Global Mobility Conference 2024
20 February, 9:30am – 4pm

Join Universities UK International (UUKi) and fellow global mobility professionals at Health Innovation One, Lancaster University, for the return of a conference dedicated to all things mobility and international experience. The Global Mobility Conference will provide an ideal platform for discussions and insights at the strategic level of mobility planning and management. The conference will conclude with a networking reception, allowing delegates to engage and build connections with like-minded professionals in the sector. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to shape the future of global mobility and learn from the various experiences accumulated so far.

Quality Insights Conference 2024
22 – 23 February, online

Join QAA’s flagship Quality Insights Conference 2024 for an imaginative programme exploring a variety of strands that enable us to focus on the students and staff of 2030.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2024
6 – 7 March, 9am – 5pm

This two-day conference will focus on best practice in addressing issues of equality, diversity and inclusion in HE. Includes keynotes from senior leaders and EDI experts.

The Secret Life of Students 2024
12 March

As Wonkhe’s unique student experience event returns for its sixth year, we’ll be interrogating the contemporary higher education policy questions through the student lens – bringing together sector leaders and managers, as well as student leaders and students’ union managers, to figure out how to respond in the student interest.

Student Belonging Conference 2024

21 May, 10am – 4pm

This free conference, hosted by East Anglia University, offers the opportunity for those interested in the student experience from the perspective of student belonging and the student transition in to Higher Education, to build a network and learn from each other. The morning sessions will be hybrid with some afternoon elements being a mixture of hybrid and in-person.

Jisc Change Agents’ Network Conference 2024

20, 22 and 23 May

The University of Portsmouth are proud to be working with Jisc to host the 11th Change Agents’ Network (CAN) Conference in May 2024. This conference will draw together students, students’ unions, professional services, academics and university leaders to address the continued need to innovate higher education with students. This year’s conference theme is ‘The future of student engagement and student-staff partnerships to enhance higher education’ where we welcome contributions from students and staff new and returning to CAN.

More information and bookings.

European First Year Experience (EFYE) Conference 2024

29 – 31 May

The EFYE Network & Conference aims to bring together people and ideas to support the first-year experience of students in higher education. These ideas are shared through various workshops run by passionate professionals, as well as through friendly discussions between delegates.

Effective Collaboration for Social Change: Working Effectively With Your Students’ Union/Association

5 June

This session will give an overview of the key structures and engagement methods of Students’ Unions to help attendees learn about how they can adapt their structures to better engage students with this work. This session will also focus on how Academic & Professional can effectively engage with their Students’ Union/Association/Guild; creating unique opportunities for collaboration so that they can enact social change together. This workshop will help support colleagues with idea generation with the unique student-led perspective as well as how to effectively approach the Union whilst ensuring a student-led perspective to their work.

Innovations in Internationalisation at Home Forum

10 June 2024

IIH2024 offers a unique opportunity to learn from experts in the field and discuss ongoing investment and innovation in the internationalised student experience.  It aims to provide a cross-sector platform that will be equally valuable to colleagues in a broad range of professional services and academic roles, and in a manner which is reflective of the broad range of opportunities and initiatives which Internationalisation at Home encompasses.

Student Communications Conference 2024

11 – 12 June

The CASE Europe Student Communications Conference provides an in-depth look at the art of creating effective and engaging student communications. Communications and marketing professionals have the opportunity to hear about innovation and best practice from expert practitioners who offer tools and techniques learned from their own successful campaigns.

Student Experience and Engagement Network Coffee Break Catch-up: Reflections on the academic year

13 June, 3-4pm

Another year of Coffee Breaks is wrapping up, but not before we reflect on the past year and the opportunities and challenges we encountered. Join us for a debrief or simply to reminisce about the last 9/10 months!

Developing your Access and Participation Plan (APP): a whole provider approach
17 June

The workshop will help you apply the learning about a whole provider approach to your own institutional context, and inform the process of preparing and writing your Access and Participation Plan (APP).

Speak Out: Exploring Protected Beliefs and Free Speech in UK Higher Education
19 June

This online event is an opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue, debate and reflection designed to strengthen understanding of the complexities of this terrain and build capacity to navigate the intersections of protected beliefs and freedom of speech. Participants will consider the key points from Advance HE’s Guidance on Protected Beliefs, hear from legal experts, and explore practical ways to navigate tensions between freedom or speech, academic freedom and protected beliefs through a range of realistic, challenging scenarios.

Coffee Catch-ups: What’s happening in the sector?

20 June

Delivered by Jake Harding, Manchester Metropolitan University, this workshop will explore applying lessons learnt from the post-pandemic secondary/further student experience to higher education. The session will also facilitate engaging with the wider context of the education sector and working together to understand the pressures on secondary/further students and colleagues, see how this translates as emerging trends in higher education and how we can collaborate as a wider community to address national issues and support the student experience.

GDP: Student Experience and Academic Assurance
26 June

This event addresses the crucial role of the governing body in providing assurance on academic governance and the student experience. As governing bodies navigate these areas, it is not uncommon for them to lack confidence, especially in light of significant changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, which have further complicated the assessment of institutional performance.

More information and bookings.

AMOSSHE National Conference 2024

26 – 28 June

The AMOSSHE National Conference 2024 is the UK’s foremost opportunity for Student Services leaders in higher education to share expertise and good practice, develop strategy and skills, and build professional networks.

More information and bookings.

Teaching and Learning Conference 2024
2 July

AdvanceHE’s flagship three-day conference, attracting HE practitioners involved in teaching and learning from the UK and overseas, will provide a forum for delegates to share latest research, project outcomes and initiatives that improve teaching and learning practice. The conference will include keynotes and panel sessions, plus a vast range of peer-led oral presentations, ignite sessions, roundtable sessions and interactive workshops.

More information and bookings.

Professional Framework Symposium: Demonstrating Responsible Practice and Personal Integrity

9 July

In response to the growing importance of student well-being, mental health, and inclusivity within higher education, AHEP are delighted to present our upcoming transformative one-day online symposium focusing on “Empowering the Student Experience: Navigating Challenges with Integrity and Inclusivity.” Inspired by recent legal precedents such as the Natasha Abrahart case, this symposium delves into critical issues surrounding student well-being, support services, legal considerations, and empowerment strategies within higher education institutions.

More information and bookings.

Foundation Year Network Annual Conference 2024

9 – 10 July

The conference, hosted at the University of Lincoln, will focus on the following themes all related to the topic of student belonging. Diverse Belonging – Does belonging mean the same to everyone? The Beginning of Belonging – How and where is belonging born? Learning to Belong – Which teaching and learning strategies, resources and activities enable all students to participate and belong during teaching sessions? Co-created Belonging – Does developing our educational offer with our students nurture belonging? Belonging as Foundation Year Educators – How can institutions ensure that their foundation year staff feel that they belong in the wider institution?

More information and bookings.

RAISE Annual Conference

11 – 12 September

The Researching, Advancing and Inspiring Student Engagement (RAISE) Committee will be running our second hybrid conference where our conference will feature plenary speakers, panels and up to 80 case studies and workshops for colleagues to share perspectives and best practice. This year, our conference theme is Equity in Attainment & Student Success, where we wish to draw together new and returning delegates to the RAISE Community to network and share our work in student engagement which addresses accessibility, equitable opportunities and celebrates diversity.

Find more information and save the date

AHEP Digital Special Interest Group: Lunchtime Networking Session: Coffee Catch-ups: What’s happening in the sector?
17 September, 12:00 – 13:00, online

This coffee catch-up will feature a conversation with Greg Sheridan, who will share his insights on digital transformations at a Scottish University. Greg is a Senior Digital Manager at the University of the West of Scotland with a focus on designing their digital transformation roadmap for student records. This session is in collaboration with AHEP’s Digital SIG.

More information and bookings.

AHEP Quality and Standards Special Interest Group: Franchising in Higher Education

20 September, 12:00 – 13:00, online

This session, led by Simon Bullock of the QAA, will take people through new UK-wide guidance on franchising, which looks at strategic direction, due diligence and the contracts that underpin new arrangements, with advice on academic standards, governance, quality assurance and mitigating risks. Attendees will also be asked to suggest areas that forthcoming advice and guidance on partnerships, to be released next year as part of the Quality Code review, could cover.

More information and bookings.

AHEP Student Experience and Engagement Special Interest Group Coffee Break Catch-up: Collective Consent
10 October, 3 – 4pm, online

The Consent Collective is a social enterprise who help organisations and communities understand consent, trauma, relationships and sexual harassment. Working across multiple sectors they use their expertise and resources to empower teams to deliver meaningful and impactful work in service of their clients, students or colleagues.

Co-founded by Dr Nina Burrowes and Cynthia Ellis, it is dedicated to promoting consent education and preventing sexual harassment. Their work with their university partners helps in the delivery of impactful programmes of work across campus to respond to and prevent sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

More information and bookings.

AHEP Change Seminar Series #2
16 October, 12 – 1:30pm, online

Our Change Seminar Series is returning in October with two webinar sessions delivered by David Duell (University of Birmingham) and Sarah Lanchbury (University of Salford). David will be discussing Credibility In A Vacuum – Growing a team without losing the heart, while Sarah will be presenting on Software Change Projects and Impact on Colleagues.

More information and bookings.