3rd HERG International Symposium
14th May 2026, 10:00 – 16:30 (UK time)
Online via Microsoft Teams – Book your place via Eventbrite – 3rd HERG Symposium to receive the link to join the online session via Teams.
Reimagining internationalisation in higher education in a digital age
This symposium will explore the challenges and the opportunities offered through reimaging internationalisation in the digital age. As institutions negotiate the complexities of global engagement, we bring together researchers and practitioners to critically examine emerging challenges and opportunities. Our conversations aim to illuminate how technological developments are influencing international practices and to consider how pedagogies must evolve to meet the expectations of a new generation of globally connected learners.
The internationalisation of higher education continues to transform the tertiary sector and is increasingly recognised by governments and intergovernmental organisations—such as the European Union and the United Nations—as an area of strategic growth. The expansion of cross‑border collaboration is reshaping institutional priorities and fostering new models of partnership and mobility. Within this landscape, transnational higher education (TNE) has become prominent, often seen as a mechanism for generating new commercial income streams while extending educational reach.
At the same time, rapid advances in digital technologies are accelerating changes across both national and international educational contexts. The integration of online learning platforms, the emergence of artificial intelligence tools, and the growing adoption of interactive and immersive technologies are transforming the ways in which higher education is delivered, experienced, and understood. These developments offer significant opportunities for expanding access and fostering global collaboration, yet they also present profound challenges to traditional pedagogic models and assumptions.
Against this backdrop, the symposium invites participants to rethink how internationalisation and pedagogy intersect in an era defined by digital innovation. We seek to explore how institutions can design teaching and learning approaches that remain relevant, inclusive, and forward‑looking, and how educators might respond to the evolving needs of culturally diverse and geographically dispersed student populations. Through critical dialogue, we aim to identify new directions for research, policy, and practice, and to envision how higher education can thrive in a digitally mediated global landscape.
| HERG Symposium schedule 2026 – Reimagining internationalisation in higher education in a digital age | ||
| Time and Type of session | Speaker | Topic |
| 9.45 Opening remarks | Prof Jan Bamford and Assoc. Prof. Elena Moschini | |
| 10-10.20 Presentation | Prof. Jan Bamford, Co- Director HERG, PFHEA, NTF, London Metropolitan University. And Assoc. Prof. Elena Moschini | Beyond Borders in the digital age: daring to reimagine the possibilities for international higher education online collaborative learning |
| 10-20-10.40 Presentation | Prof. Stephen Rutherford, University of Cardiff | An international perspective on Student Empowerment |
| 10.40-11am Presentation | Assoc. Prof. Elena Moschini, Co-Director HERG, London Metropolitan University. | Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: An International Review of Impact, Opportunities, and Challenges |
| 11.—11.20 Presentation | Assoc. Prof. Danielle D’Hayer , London Metropolitan University | Learning together beyond borders: a transnational hyflex community of practice model to enhance conference interpreter education |
| 11.20-11.50 Panel discussion | Session 5 Panel Discussion on priorities for the future of international higher education: international students’ perspectives | |
| 11.50-12 Break | ||
| 12-1pm Keynote | Prof. Mark Frydenberg, Director of the CIS Learning and Technology Sandbox at Bentley University, USA Prof. Debbie Holley, NTF, Emerita Professor of Learning Innovation Department of Nursing Sciences Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of Bournemouth. | The human/immersive conundrum – where lies the future of education? Join Mark Frydenberg, Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the CIS Learning and Technology Sandbox at Bentley University, USA and Debbie Holley, Professor of Learning Innovation at Bournemouth University, UK as they discuss the ways in which technologies underpinning learning may emerge in the future. They will draw upon their bodies of work with students who experience their life ‘through a screen’; and consider how current theories of technological acceptance may be relevant to future educators. |
| 1-2pm | Lunch break | |
| 2-2.20pm Presentation | Assoc. Prof. Muge Satar, Newcastle University, | An Inclusive and Multiliteracies-Informed Virtual Exchange Pedagogy Through Digital Cultural Artefacts |
| 2.20-2.40pm Presentation | Prof. Antonella Poce, Universita Tor Vergata, Rome | Hints from research experiences into museum education through technology |
| 2.40-3.00pm Presentation | Dr Fotini Diamantidaki Assoc. Professor of Language Learning and Intercultural Communication, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK | Translanguaging Artefacts in Collaborative Online International Learning Spaces: Reconfiguring Language and Knowledge Across London and Hong Kong |
| 3.00-3.20pm Presentation | Dr Margarita Kefalaki, Adjunct Professor, Intercultural Communication, Hellenic Open University, Greece & President, Communication Institute of Greece. | Creating Internationalisation Opportunities: The Case of the Communication Institute of Greece and the Journal of Education, Innovation and Communication |
| 3.20pm-3.40pm | Dr Anna Ageicheva, Dean of Faculty of Education, Philology and Languages, PhD in Education, National University Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic | Building Global Academic Partnerships in the Digital Age: Poltava Polytechnic Success Story |
| Plenary and close | ||
Keynote: The human/immersive conundrum – where lies the future of education?
Prof. Mark Frydenberg, Bentley University USA
Prof. Debbie Holley, Emerita Prof Bournemouth University
Join Mark Frydenberg, Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the CIS Learning and Technology Sandbox at Bentley University, USA and Debbie Holley, Professor of Learning Innovation at Bournemouth University, UK as they discuss the ways in which technologies underpinning learning may emerge in the future. They will draw upon their bodies of work with students who experience their life ‘through a screen’; and consider how current theories of technological acceptance may be relevant to future educators.
1. Presentation: Beyond Borders in the digital age: daring to reimagine the possibilities for international higher education online collaborative learning
Prof. Jan Bamford, London Metropolitan University, email: j.bamford@londonmet.ac.uk
Assoc. Prof. Elena Moschini, London Metropolitan University, email: e.moschini@londonmet.ac.uk
This paper explores the future beyond borders in a digital age of international higher education through a critical reimagining of opportunities for engagement that transcend national borders. Transnational Education (TNE) is positioned as a central framework for contemporary international activity, encompassing the development of new markets and partnerships, and the expansion of collaborative models such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Increasingly, digital environments are reshaping these activities, offering enhanced possibilities for collaboration, innovation, and global connectivity.
Focusing on the role of gamified digital spaces, this study examines how such environments can extend and transform student mobility within higher education. Mobility is conceptualised broadly, incorporating physical, virtual, and social dimensions. Through a ‘third space’ approach, gamified digital platforms can be understood as informal learning environments that exist beyond traditional disciplinary and institutional boundaries. These spaces foster engagement, inclusivity, and the development of transferable skills, while enabling new forms of cross-cultural interaction and participation.
The research is grounded in a project intervention designed to create an inclusive, gamified online learning experience. Central to the intervention was the recognition of informal learning spaces as vital sites of engagement, where students can navigate and negotiate identities across diverse cultural and educational contexts. Developed through a participatory design methodology, the project involved students as co-creators and co-developers across UK and international settings, reflecting a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
The findings contribute to ongoing debates on the future of internationalisation in higher education, highlighting the potential of digitally mediated, student-centred approaches to extend access, enhance inclusion, and reimagine mobility beyond borders.
2. Presentation: An international perspective on Student Empowerment
Prof. Stephen Rutherford, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
How do we empower students to be active, agentic learners, who have a stake in the design of their courses and learning activities? This talk will focus around the outputs of a recent European University Association Thematic Peer Group (TPG) report on learning activities to empower students as active agents and partners in learning. The TPG discussions involved colleagues from 9 HE institutions across Europe, and focused on identifying ways in which we can refine our teaching approaches to include students, and prepare them to be global citizens, agents of change, and active contributors to their courses. The talk will highlight the affordances and barriers to empowering students, and identify potential ways we can better embed student empowerment within our teaching, curricula, and institutional policies.
3. Presentation: Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: An International Review of Impact, Opportunities, and Challenges
Assoc. Prof. Elena Moschini, London Metropolitan University, email: e.moschini@londonmet.ac.uk
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is reshaping higher education systems worldwide. From adaptive learning platforms and automated assessment to learning analytics and generative AI tools, AI is influencing teaching practices, curriculum design, student support, and institutional governance. This paper proposes an international review of the current state of AI adoption in higher education, examining its pedagogical, ethical, and organisational impacts across diverse global contexts. Drawing on recent international literature, policy reports, and selected case examples, the paper summarises current trends, highlights emerging risks and inequalities, and identifies critical success factors for responsible and effective AI integration. The presentation aims to provide an overview of where the sector stands globally and what strategic considerations are required to ensure AI enhances educational quality, equity, and academic integrity.
4. Presentation: Learning together beyond borders: a transnational hyflex community of practice model to enhance conference interpreter education
Dr Danielle D’Hayer – Associate Teaching Professor Interpreting Studies – National Teaching Fellow Advance HE – London Metropolitan University – London (UK)
The presentation explores the concept of a visionary transnational hyflex community of practice model illustrated with the case study of the Master’s programme in Conference Interpreting (distance learning and hyflex delivery) at London Metropolitan University. This unique visionary achievement is the result of a 20-year quest for fully flexible access to teaching and learning.
As a high profile profession, conference interpreting requires a rigorous approach to education. Postgraduate conference interpreting programmes are highly selective and competitive. Very few are validated by employers such as international institutions, most of which in Western Europe. As a result, international students mainly from the African and American continents have to make financial and emotional sacrifices to access them in person leaving behind family, employer and support networks. Unfortunately, many candidates with an unconditional offer have been unable to overcome all obstacles and had to renounce a potentially rewarding career. They were mainly mature students, most of whom mothers with young children.
The presentation will explore how a purposefully designed technology setup has been instrumental in removing education barriers for these students, who are now able to access an inspiring inclusive transnational education space, conducive to successful formal and informal learning within a hyflex community of practice. But accessing a course remotely, even when synchronous, is only part of the solution. The unique ambition has been to create a fully flexible, inclusive community of practice where every student, regardless of their mode of attendance, feels they belong, learn, share and explore together as one.
As the ‘system convenor’ or ‘social artist’ of this granular community of practice model that enhances ‘learning within a community by caring, giving and sharing’, I provide an insight on the success factors of the model that brings together candidates, students, alumni and professionals at different stages of their development.
Bibliography:
Carnicer, J. A., & Fürstenau, S. (2019). Transnational Education: a Concept for Institutional and Individual Perspectives (Editorial). Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung / Discourse. Journal of Childhood and Adolescence Research,
14(4), 385-389. https://doi.org/10.3224/diskurs.v14i4.01
D’Hayer, D. (2023): ‘When a CoP mindset combined with hybrid pedagogy breaks silos to enhance interprofessional multilingual experiential learning and an inclusive participation of multiple communities. The case study of mock conferences for conference interpreting education at London Metropolitan University.’New Insights into Interpreting Studies Technology, Society and Access. Chapter 10 (pp 191-223). Peter Lang. Berlin.
D’Hayer, D. (2022): “In what ways do (virtual) communities of practice facilitate successful learning in the context of professional development for interpreting students, graduates and practitioners?”(PhD thesis) https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/id/eprint/9114
Hapke, H., Lee-Post A., Dean T. (2020): ‘3-IN-1 HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, Marketing Education Review’, DOI: 10.1080/10528008.2020.1855989 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10528008.2020.1855989
Wenger-Trayner, E & Wenger-Trayner, B (2020) ‘Learning to make a difference – value creation in social learning spaces. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Presentation: An Inclusive and Multiliteracies-Informed Virtual Exchange Pedagogy Through Digital Cultural Artefacts
Assoc. Prof Muge Satar – Reader in Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University.
Virtual exchange (VE) plays a pivotal role in the internationalisation of higher education (O’Dowd & Beelen, 2021). While pedagogical models such as COIL (Rubin & Guth, 2023) and telecollaboration (O’Dowd & Ware, 2009) have been widely adopted, there are few examples of Vresearch and practice on inclusive approaches through co-creation, sharing, appropriation and re-enactment of digital cultural artefacts from various cultures. This talk introduces the ENACT VE model, which leverages a task-based digital pedagogy informed by multiliteracies (The New London Group, 1996) to foster social interaction and intercultural dialogue. By examining three implementations of the ENACT VE model at Newcastle University between 2020-2022, this talk presents three configurations (synchronous and asynchronous; individual and co-created), tasks and procedures. The findings show the impact of these configurations on outcomes and how the ENACT web app supports inclusive VE practice.
Speaker Bio:
Dr Müge Satar is Reader in Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University. She has expertise on technology enhanced language learning and teaching, particularly on the communicative and pedagogical aspects of multimodal and intercultural interaction in online settings. Her work aims to understand how people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds establish interpersonal relationships and improve their digital, linguistic, and intercultural communication skills. She was Principal Investigator of the ENACT project between 2019-2022. She is General Council member of UNICollaboration and the co-editor of the Journal of Virtual Exchange.
6. Presentation: Prof. Antonella Poce, University Tor Vergata, Roma Tre
Prof. Antonella Poce, University Tor Vergata, Roma Tre
Hints from Research Experiences into Museum Education through Technology
Abstract
This presentation reflects on a set of research and educational experiences developed at the intersection of museum education, digital technologies, and international collaboration. Drawing on national and international projects carried out by the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the presentation explores how museums and heritage sites can become experimental spaces for rethinking internationalisation in higher education in the digital age.
The presentation discusses how technology-enhanced museum education (through AI, virtual reality, 3D digitisation, digital storytelling, object-based learning, educational robotics, and immersive environments) can support inclusive, participatory, and culturally responsive pedagogies. These experiences show that digital innovation is not only a matter of tools or platforms, but also a way to redesign learning ecologies across borders, disciplines, and communities.
Particular attention is given to the role of museums as international and intercultural learning environments, where students, researchers, educators, cultural professionals, and diverse audiences can engage with heritage through collaborative and experiential approaches. The contribution will highlight lessons emerging from recent projects focused on accessibility, social inclusion, critical thinking, wellbeing, and the development of transversal competences.
By connecting museum education research with the wider debate on internationalisation, the presentation argues that heritage-based digital practices can offer valuable insights for higher education institutions seeking to develop more inclusive, flexible, and globally connected pedagogical models. In this perspective, museums become not only cultural institutions, but also pedagogical laboratories for imagining new forms of international teaching and learning.
7. Presentation: Dr Fotini Diamantidaki Associate Professor
of Language Learning and Intercultural Communication, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
Translanguaging Artefacts in Collaborative Online International Learning Spaces: Reconfiguring Language and Knowledge Across London and Hong Kong
The presentation discusses the creation of translanguaging artefacts within Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) environments connecting Master’s students in London and Hong Kong enrolled in language-learning and intercultural communication programmes. Drawing on translanguaging theory as a socio-semiotic and relational practice (García & Li Wei, 2014; Li Wei, 2018), the study examines how multilingual learners mobilise linguistic, digital, visual, and affective resources to co-construct knowledge across geographically and culturally differentiated contexts.
The presentation conceptualises “translanguaging artefacts” as the multimodal creations produced through online collaboration, including multilingual discussion threads, collaborative digital texts, reflective journals, and AI-mediated compositions. These artefacts reveal how students negotiate linguistic legitimacy, epistemic authority, and intercultural positioning within global academic spaces shaped by unequal histories of English and internationalisation (Canagarajah, 2013; Pennycook, 2018).
The analysis demonstrates how translanguaging practices destabilise monolingual norms embedded within higher education and enable students to construct fluid, dialogic, and translocal scholarly identities (Creese & Blackledge, 2010).
The presentation argues that translanguaging artefacts function not only as communicative products but also as epistemic infrastructures through which alternative forms of academic belonging and collaborative knowledge production become possible. In doing so, the study contributes to debates on digital interculturality, postmonolingual pedagogy, and the politics of internationalisation in higher education (Jenkins, 2019; O’Dowd, 2021).
References
Canagarajah, S. (2013). Translingual practice: Global Englishes and cosmopolitan relations. Routledge.
Creese, A., & Blackledge, A. (2010). Translanguaging in the bilingual classroom: A pedagogy for learning and teaching? The Modern Language Journal, 94(1), 103–115.
García, O., & Li Wei. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. Palgrave Macmillan.
Jenkins, J. (2019). English medium instruction in higher education: The role of English as a lingua franca. In X. Gao (Ed.), Second handbook of English language teaching (pp. 91–108). Springer.
Li Wei. (2018). Translanguaging as a practical theory of language. Applied Linguistics, 39(1), 9–30.
O’Dowd, R. (2021). Virtual exchange and internationalising the classroom. Routledge.
Pennycook, A. (2018). Posthumanist applied linguistics. Routledge.
Stein, P. (2008). Multimodal pedagogies in diverse classrooms. Routledge.
8.Presentation: Dr Margarita Kefalaki, Adjunct Professor, Intercultural Communication, Hellenic Open University, Greece & President, Communication Institute of Greece.
Creating Internationalisation Opportunities: The Case of the Communication Institute of Greece and the Journal of Education, Innovation and Communication
Internationalisation and the use of social media, has become a central objective in higher education, encouraging collaboration among scholars across cultures, institutions, and disciplines (Kefalaki, 2024). Such collaboration can allow academics to exchange knowledge, develop comparative perspectives, and build networks that contribute to both research and teaching excellence (Nya-Ling Tan, 2016). However, meaningful international engagement requires initiatives that create practical opportunities for dialogue and cooperation among scholars (Kefalaki et al., 2021).
This presentation explores how internationalisation opportunities can emerge through collaborative academic initiatives, focusing on the example of the Communication Institute of Greece and the Journal of Education, Innovation and Communication. These initiatives were created to provide scholars from different countries and academic backgrounds with a platform to meet, exchange ideas, and disseminate research (Bonk et al., 2020). Through conferences, publications, and collaborative projects, these platforms foster an international academic community that values interdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge sharing.
The presentation also highlights how academics can be inspired to develop similar initiatives that encourage cooperation across borders. By engaging in collaborative research networks, conferences, and scholarly publications, academics not only enrich their own professional development but also enhance the learning experiences of their students and colleagues. Knowledge sharing and international dialogue can therefore contribute to a broader culture of innovation, critical thinking, and academic solidarity.
Ultimately, the presentation argues that education and academic collaboration can play a significant role in addressing global challenges and fostering mutual understanding among cultures. By creating spaces for international dialogue and knowledge exchange, higher education institutions and academic networks can contribute to building a more inclusive and cooperative global academic community.
References
Bonk JR, Kefalaki M., Diamantidaki F. (2020). COmmunication is RObust when NAtions Come Together: The Importance of Collaboration during a Global Crisis. Journal of Education, Innovation and Communication. Special Issue. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34097/jeicom_SP_june2020_20
Nya-Ling Tan C. (2016). Enhancing knowledge sharing and research collaboration among academics: the role of knowledge management High Education. 71:525–556. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/s10734-015-9922-6.
Powell J. J. W. (2020). Comparative education in an age of competition and Collaboration. Comparative education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2019.1701248
Kefalaki, M. (2024). The Use of Social Media in Higher Education. The Case of Greek Universities. In Kavoura et al. (eds.), Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism, Springer
Proceedings in Business and Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51038-0_34
Kefalaki M., Nevradakis M., Li Q. (2021). Cross-cultural effects of COVID-19 on higher education learning and teaching practice: A case study from Greece. Journal of University Teaching. V. 18 (5). DOI:10.53761/1.18.5.5
Higher Education Research Group (HERG) 