Keynote speakers

Opening Keynote

Bridging Boundaries through SoTL: Paths from the Individual to the Collective

For SoTL to drive transformative change, it must extend beyond the individual and influence the collective structures of teaching and learning within institutions. This requires not only crossing disciplinary boundaries but also becoming agentic and reflective in how we move between personal inquiry and systemic change. How do we take ownership of our capacity to connect ideas, people, and practices across teaching and learning landscapes? Why should we connect beyond our own disciplinary and institutional silos? What—and who—connects us in this process? And how can we, as SoTL scholars, become more intentional in shaping these connections?

These are some of the questions that guide this keynote, which explores SoTL as a boundary-crossing and relational practice—one that bridges disciplines, roles, and institutional structures. Drawing on global SoTL perspectives, with a focus on European higher education, we will examine the dynamic and sometimes fraught paths that lead from the individual to the collective. This talk will also invite participants to critically reflect on their agency as SoTL scholars, explore strategies for meaningful connection, and envision pathways for transforming individual insights into institutional momentum.

Helga Dorner

Helga Dorner is an Associate Professor and Director at the Institute of Research on Adult Education and Knowledge Management at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Hungary. Before joining ELTE, she was Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Central European University, Hungary. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She researches teaching innovations, academic professionalism, and mentoring for teaching in higher education.

Closing Keynote

SoTL Connections Through and Across Difference: Intercultural Dialogue, Relational Journeys, and Emergent Perspectives

More information about the content of the keynote will be provided as soon as possible.

Anna Santucci

Anna Santucci is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) at University College Cork, Ireland. She was previously a faculty developer at the University of Rhode Island (USA). Anna’s international and transdisciplinary work critically promotes interculturality, equity and justice in higher education via co-creation, reflection, agency, and authentic partnerships.