As I am preparing my keynote (and workshop!) for the Ascilite Conference later this month, I have been thinking about what it takes (for me) to craft a keynote.
Although I regularly give talks, including keynotes, in recent years the proportion of these that are online only is on the rise – and writing a talk for a partial attention setting is quite different to my mind.
In person events offer much more scope for the imagination, and I intend to make the most of that for the Ascilite event, not least of all because this conference has been on my wish-list to attend since 2009!
I came across Ascilite when I first started working for ALT in 2008, for a project that involved moving a scholarly journal to Gold Open Access (which was quite a novelty at the time). Since then I have often been inspired by, collaborated with and learnt from colleagues at Ascilite, from journal governance to professional development and leadership in education.
So as well as wanting to do a good job and making a valuable contribution to the conference, I also aim to give my talk a bit more of “me”, a bit more character – and hopefully fun alongside useful resources for participants to take away.
Preview of my talk:
Leading Beyond Digital: Human-Centred Leadership for the Next Era of Higher Education
Bringing a strategic perspective to her keynote for ASCILITE 2026, Maren will share new perspectives on the future of education informed by research for her forthcoming book. The starting point for this research is a generation of Educational Technology professionals moving into senior leadership roles, bringing a high level of critical, digital literacy to navigating a fast-paced, constantly changing Higher Education landscape. Yet since 2020 this landscape has continued to undergo seismic shifts, from the impact of the global pandemic and the rapid adoption of AI tools to socio-economic and environmental changes. To respond to these challenges, leaders at all levels need a new skillset of reflective, practical and human-centred capabilities that go beyond established digital capabilities.
Drawing on interviews with leaders conducted over the past three years as well as skills frameworks and best practice examples, we will explore how we can foster capabilities which enable us to:
- Lead effectively in a blended context that includes everything from analogue to AI and balance the affordances of digital technologies with the priorities of a human-centred future;
- Increase awareness of digital sustainability for individuals and organisations and find practical ways to minimise digital waste and promote the responsible use of technology;
- Be authentic, creative leaders that set our own cadence for collaboration and communication instead of following the frantic pace of digital productivity.
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