Through written reflection and visual storytelling, we revisit the four HERDSA 2026 keynotes and explore what they reveal about pedagogical leadership, societal impact, learner capabilities and human-centred AI-enabled assessment. 

Re-envisioning higher education through four connected lenses 

The HERDSA 2026 conference invited us to re-envision higher education for tomorrow’s learners. Across four keynotes, this challenge was explored through pedagogical leadership, societal impact, learner capabilities and AI-enabled assessment. A shared message emerged: higher education must respond to uncertainty by strengthening human agency, relationships and institutional capacity. What was memorable for you? 

Lauren captured the three on-site keynotes through visual summaries. Her sketchnotes make connections between ideas visible, preserve the speakers’ memorable metaphors and offer another way of engaging with complex scholarly conversations. In this reflection, we bring our written and visual interpretations together to share the ideas that continued to resonate with us beyond the conference.  

Pedagogical leadership needs enabling structures 

Prof Mary Wright opened the on-site keynote program by asking what pedagogical leadership looks like when the unknown must be built into how institutions learn and change. 

In Pedagogical Leadership for an Unknown Future, Prof Wright reframed leadership as a distributed and relational practice. Educators contribute to change by mentoring colleagues, sharing scholarship, creating networks and influencing educational practice. 

However, this work cannot depend only on individual commitment. Recognition, professional learning, collaboration and institutional support are critical. Prof Wright’s four metaphors for centres for teaching and learning were particularly memorable. The hub connects people and ideas; the incubator develops educators and their leadership aspirations; the temple creates recognition and reward for teaching; and the sieve supports scholarship and evidence-informed practice. Reflect on how you have experienced these models in your own practice and consider, which ones have had the most impact initially, and long term? 

The central takeaway was that pedagogical leadership does not arise by accident.  It requires deliberate structures, sustained resourcing and institutional legitimacy in which educators can lead, learn and influence change. What is your role in developing a culture of nurturing pedagogical leadership practices? 

Optimism can be designed into the curriculum 

Prof Sarah Maddison’s keynote, From Societal Impact as an Outcome to a Pedagogical Approach: Rethinking Optimism in Higher Education, invited us to reconsider optimism not as a slogan, but as a capability that higher education can intentionally develop. 

Her central proposition was that that societal impact should not be viewed only as a future outcome of university research. It can become part of the learning process itself. Students want to know that their learning matters. By working with communities, addressing live challenges and applying disciplinary knowledge, they can begin contributing to change before graduation. Prof Maddison presented three connected elements for embedding impact at scale. 

Curriculum should provide meaningful impact-oriented experiences for all students, rather than only those who select optional opportunities. Culture requires alignment among institutional strategy, leadership, promotion, recognition and resourcing. Connection requires reciprocal partnerships in which communities help define challenges and assess value, rather than becoming an unpaid resource for university learning. 

The phrase that stayed with us was that Optimism is not passive positivity. Societal impact pedagogy can help them see that their knowledge has purpose and that optimistic futures are shaped through informed, collaborative action. How can you help foster a sense of agency in your students?  

Tomorrow’s learners need habits of mind for complexity 

Assoc Prof Chng Huang Hoon used the metaphor of riding a grey wolf into unfamiliar terrain to frame Building Capabilities for a Complex Future: Habits of Mind, Mindset and Youth Leadership.

Drawing on the VUCA, TUNA, BANI and RUPT frameworks, A/Prof Chng illustrated the future may be volatile, turbulent, brittle and unpredictable, but the capabilities learners require are not entirely new. What has changed is their urgency. Her response was not another list of technical competencies. Instead, she focused on habits of mind, growth mindset and everyday leadership. 

Three capabilities stood out. Systems thinking enables learners to move between a worm’s-eye view and a bird’s-eye view, examining specific details while understanding relationships, feedback loops and wider consequences. Empathetic thinking requires listening, perspective-taking and attention to the experiences of others. A growth mindset supports persistence, curiosity and openness to continuous learning. How can you foster these mindsets in yourself as well as your learners? Where can systems thinking help us grow as a sector? How can empathetic thinking enable a more just curriculum experience? How can you encourage growth mindset as your brain’s default perspective? 

Leadership was presented as an everyday practice rather than a formal title. Students can learn to exercise agency, navigate tensions and advocate with humility, integrity and empathy. These capabilities cannot remain implicit aspirations. They must be intentionally taught, practised and integrated across curricula. Learners need to look inward for resilience, outward towards systems and communities, and forward with the courage to “adjust their sails”. 

AI must extend, not replace, educational judgement 

In the virtual keynote, Generative AI and Assessment in Higher Education: Opportunities from Language Education and Spoken Dialogue Systems, Assoc Prof Vahid Aryadoust explored how conversational AI can support oral interaction and formative assessment. 

Spoken dialogue systems can simulate interviews, ask follow-up questions and provide individualised feedback. Vahid’s research indicated that a carefully designed GPT-supported system could produce scoring patterns broadly comparable with trained human markers. 

Yet the strongest message was about design and accountability. Educators must define what is being assessed, align tasks and rubrics with intended learning, provide clear prompts and examples, pilot the system and gather evidence about the validity of resulting interpretations. 

The keynote concluded with a principle that connected strongly with the others: humans must remain in the loop. AI may extend opportunities for formative oral assessment and feedback, but educators retain responsibility for oversight, fairness, interpretation and educational judgement. How can we ensure we’re guiding technology use, rather than being guided by it?  

Together, the keynotes positioned uncertainty as a design condition for higher education, rather than a temporary disruption. They also demonstrated that individual capabilities and institutional conditions are inseparable. We can ask educators and students to be agile, empathetic and courageous, but these qualities require enabling structures, meaningful curricula and supportive communities. 

Lauren’s visual reflections bring these connections into view. The hub, incubator, temple and sieve sit alongside curriculum, culture and connection. The grey wolf, worm and bird remind us to shift perspective, collaborate and support productive failure. 

The next step is ours: to translate these insights into institutional practice, curriculum design and educational leadership that equips learners and educators to act with agency, empathy and purpose. 

What energised you most from HERDSA 2026? What activities and values will you practice and come back to HERDSA 2027 with? 

Blog authors: