Please check back in May/June to see the final programme for 2026.

To give you a flavour of what to expect, the 2025 programme is below.

Monday 23rd June 2025, Creative Centre, York St John University 

8.30am – 9.00am: Registration 

Teas and coffees provided 

Creative Centre Atrium 

  

9.00am – 10.15am: Conference Opening and Keynote 

Opening Remarks: Dr Ruth Windscheffel, Head of Teaching and Learning Enhancement, York St John University 

Keynote: Higher Education and Social Justice. Prof. Jan McArthur, Lancaster University  

Creative Centre Auditorium 

  

10.15am – 11.30am: Parallel Sessions  

Session 1: Innovations, Technology and Work-Related Experiential Learning (WREL) 

Choice and Agency When Using VR Soft Skills Training – Matthew Coxon, Adam Eggleston and Theo Jones 

A Service Design Approach: How Can Augmented Reality Support Primary Science Learning? – Warren Fearn and Katy Bloom 

Exploring Accessible and Inclusive Practices in Hospitality and Tourism through Experiential Learning – Hongrui Zhu 

Chair: Ruth Windscheffel 

CC101 (Critical Listening Room) 

Session 2: Decolonisation, Anti-Racism and Social Justice (Hybrid*) 

Teaching Religion and Ethics in Relation to Palestine – Esther McIntosh and Sharon Jagger 

Teaching Critical Mathematics Education and Social Justice – Manjinder Kaur Jagdev [presenting online] 

Decolonising Epistemologies: Implementing Anti-Racist Pedagogies for Transformative Social Impact – Berisford Lewis 

Chair: Lucy Potter 

CC011 / MS Teams 

  

11.30am – 11.45am: Morning Break 

Teas, coffees and pastries 

Creative Centre Atrium 

  

11.45am – 1pm: Parallel Sessions 

Session 3: Education for Social Impact 

Citizens, Not Tourists: Place-Based Pedagogy in Primary Initial Teacher Education – Steph Jach, Jen Huntsley and Lucy Sors 

Collaborating with Raise York to Facilitate Social Impact Across Research, Teaching and Civil Society – Carole Pugh, Vanessa Baxter and Rob Newton (City of York Council) 

Chair: Lucy Potter 

CC101 (Critical Listening Room) 

Session 4: Inclusive Practice and Student Support (Hybrid*) 

The Experiences of Transgender Students at York St John University – Sarah Trussler and Crowley Vyner 

‘Why isn’t anybody speaking?’ Encouraging Participation in Seminars and Group Discussions – Kate Dexter 

The Unsung Heroes of UK Higher Education: Understanding the Influence of Third-Space Personnel on Teaching and Learning – Folasade Oyetayo, Joy Itegboje and Prashant Bikram Shah [presenting online] 

Chair: Chris Whiting 

CC011 / MS Teams 

  

1.00pm – 1.45pm: Lunch 

Buffet provided – Creative Centre Atrium 

Visit the 3rd SpARK Pop-Up Staff Room – all welcome [CC011] 

  

1.45pm – 2.45pm: Panel Discussion 

Trauma-Informed Pedagogies and Practice 

Rachel Conlon, Heather Sutherland, Anna Deacon and Mia Bryden 

Chair: Laura Key  

Creative Centre Auditorium 

  

2.45pm – 3.45pm: Workshops 

Workshop 1. From Industry to Impact: A Collaborative Model for Embedding Employability through Co-Creation and Experiential Approaches – Suzzie O. Aidoo, Francis Achi, Ritika Tiwari and Olalekan Adisa 

CC011 

Workshop 2. Course Reps: A Partnership with Social Impact – Kate Pritchard and Lucy Furneaux 

CC201 (Recital Room) 

Workshop 3. O Brave New World: Film Screening with Q&A – Rachel Conlon 

CC101 (Critical Listening Room) 

  

3.45pm – 4.00pm: Afternoon Break 

Tea and coffee 

Creative Centre Atrium 

  

4.00pm – 5.00pm: Parallel Sessions  

Session 5: Climate Change and Environmental Justice – Creative Session 

Art-based Methods in Environment and Climate Change Education: A Participatory and Collaborative Approach to Teaching and Learning in HE – Kasturi Hazarika 

Creative Centre Atrium/CC011 

Session 6: Collaboration, Co-creation and Curriculum Design 

Simple Formative Fun: Teaching Academic Skills to Foundation Year Students – Sarah Crabbe 

(Re)imagining Sustainable Futures: Student-Led Approaches to Responsible Business Management Education and Developing a Sustainability Community of Practice – Tom Ratcliffe, Jenny Hall and Ellie Lloyd 

Chair: Chris Whiting 

CC201 (Recital Room) 

  

5.00pm – 5.15pm: Closing Remarks 

Prof. Richard Bourne, Pro-Vice Chancellor: Education, York St John University 

Creative Centre Auditorium 

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Abstracts 

Keynote: Professor Jan McArthur, Lancaster University 

Jan McArthur is Professor in Higher Education and Social Justice at Lancaster University. Much of her work is informed by critical pedagogy, and particularly the ways in which conceptualisations of knowledge impact upon social justice. Her latest book, Assessment for Social Justice, explores the potential to further social justice within and through HE assessment. 

Parallel Presentation Sessions 

Session 1: Innovations, Technology and Work-Related Experiential Learning (WREL) 

Choice and Agency When Using VR Soft Skills Training – Matthew Coxon, Adam Eggleston and Theo Jones 

This session will explore student choice and agency when implementing virtual reality soft-skills training in a higher education curriculum. More specifically, the implementation of immersive simulations in which students can practise workplace scenarios and receive personalised feedback on their communication and interpersonal skills. 
 
At York St John University, we’ve developed a distinctive approach to integrating this technology within our Psychology BSc programme, contrasting with more prescriptive implementations reported elsewhere. Embedded within a first-year module of approximately 250 students and aligned with their assessments, our approach centres on student autonomy. Rather than mandating a single module (such as interview training), we empower students to select modules aligned with their specific career aspirations. This personalisation extends to technology access, with students choosing between VR headsets, tablets/mobile devices, or desktop interfaces based on their preferences. 
 
While formal teaching sessions focus on initial onboarding, students complete their chosen modules independently, supported by bookable facilities and equipment. This approach supports our institutional commitment to providing personalised learning journeys underpinned with technology, while ensuring accessibility. 
 
This presentation will outline the underpinning principles to our approach, before sharing data on device preferences, module selection patterns, voluntary engagement beyond requirements, and student feedback. 

A Service Design Approach: How Can Augmented Reality Support Primary Science Learning? – Warren Fearn and Katy Bloom 

The Epic Science Exhibition is a research-led initiative designed to engage Key Stage 2 (KS2) pupils with primary science through immersive augmented reality (AR). Developed by York St John University in collaboration with YSJ Education and supported by an Unreal Mega Grant, the exhibition aligns with curriculum outcomes and augments core scientific concepts – such as habitats, renewables and healthy eating  – through interactive AR models accessed via tablets. 
 
Using a Service Design approach, the exhibition bridges formal and informal learning by enabling teachers to scaffold engagement through embedded prompts, activities and open-ended questions. This inclusive strategy caters to diverse learning needs, allowing children to explore and manipulate virtual content, enhancing understanding through experiential interaction. Evaluation through observation, teacher interviews and pupil feedback indicated greater engagement, improved vocabulary use and deeper conceptual comprehension. 
 
While focused on primary education, the exhibition offers a transferable model for higher education (HE). Its use of spatial learning and multisensory experiences can support the teaching in other subject disciplines. Dynamic AR models provide participants with opportunities to visualise processes that are often abstract or inaccessible in traditional settings. 
 
Moreover, the collaborative and inquiry-based structure of the exhibition supports skills development relevant to HE, including experimentation, data gathering and critical thinking. As universities increasingly adopt hybrid and remote learning models, this research highlights how immersive technologies can deliver flexible, engaging and inclusive educational experiences across all learning stages. 

Exploring Accessible and Inclusive Practices in Hospitality and Tourism through Experiential Learning – Hongrui Zhu 

Accessibility in tourism and hospitality encompasses offering barrier-free and inclusive services and facilities for everyone (Buhalis & Darcy, 2011; Lo Bianco, 2021). Against this backdrop, this proposal explores the integration of accessibility and inclusivity into hospitality and tourism through experiential learning, featuring a visit to The Milner York. Under the Work-Related Experiential Learning (WREL) framework at York St John University, this field trip served as a springboard for broader critical inquiry into inclusive service design, enabling students to connect theoretical concepts with real-world practices to deepen their awareness and understanding of accessibility and inclusivity as a core dimension of social impact. 
 
The Milner York, a heritage hotel located next to the York Railway Station, has demonstrated a strong commitment to accessible and inclusive hospitality practices by offering services that meet the needs of guests with physical, sensory and/or hidden disabilities (The Milner York, n.d.). According to their Accessibility Statement, The Milner York offers accessible ensuite rooms and facilities with adjoining rooms for carers and installs assistive tools such as pullcord style alarms, dropdown rails and visual alarms in public areas as well as adopts assistive technology such as vibrating pillows for guests with hearing impairments (The Milner York, n.d.). 
 
Building on this case study, the presentation will explore a wider range of assistive technologies being adopted across the tourism and hospitality industry. Through reflective student engagement and real-world examples, this session illustrates how experiential learning can cultivate socially conscious hospitality and tourism professionals who are prepared to innovate for accessibility and inclusivity. 
 
References 
Buhalis, D., & Darcy, S. (Eds.). (2011). Accessible tourism: Concepts and issues. Channel View Publications, Bristol. 
Lo Bianco, B. (2021). For a Responsible, Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism. In Tourism in the Mediterranean Sea: An Italian Perspective (pp. 185-197). Emerald Publishing Limited. 
The Milner York. (n.d.). Accessibility Statement. Retrieved April 23, 2025, from https://www.themilneryork.com/accessiblity-statement. 

Session 2: Decolonisation, Anti-Racism and Social Justice 

Teaching Religion and Ethics in Relation to Palestine – Esther McIntosh and Sharon Jagger 

As academics teaching in the fields of religion and ethics, we aim to increase religious literacy and critical thinking in relation to issues of social justice and decolonisation. While our students are fully aware of the reported conflict between Israel and Palestine, and the ongoing public demonstrations, their background knowledge and religious perspectives vary. Legacy media and politicians often give the impression that the conflict is a religious one with Jews and Muslims on opposite sides; in addition, despite Palestine housing key religious locations for Christians (e.g. Bethlehem, Jerusalem) and some of the historically oldest Christian communities globally, they are rarely mentioned. In our teaching across modules such as ‘Religion and Politics’ and ‘Matters of Life and Death’, the occupation of Palestine is a necessary and unavoidable topic of exploration as we examine concepts such as war, terrorism, civil disobedience, the role of religion in the State, religious activism and political protest. In this presentation, we will reflect on the meaning of decolonisation in higher education and the social impact of teaching about Palestine. 

Teaching Critical Mathematics Education and Social Justice – Manjinder Kaur Jagdev 

Around the world, mathematics anxiety and fear of the subject has been well documented and researched. As an educator and with student teachers, I have sought opportunities to change practices, through teaching critical mathematics education and social justice themes, to motivate and enthuse children. By including the historical and cross-cultural roots of mathematics, and stories and voices of underrepresented and marginalised peoples (such as Indigenous communities), and through moving away from a Eurocentric curriculum, we can empower pre-service teachers and pupils for a fairer and more just world. In this presentation, I report on my work and research about teaching critical mathematics education and social justice with themes of anti-racism, diversity, inclusion and climate change. Using a participatory action research approach, through a process of collaboration, primary and secondary student teachers co-create and teach lessons on these themes, making links to the National Curriculum. The impactful findings demonstrate how powerful voices of student teachers and their pupils from placements can, in relation to literature and practices, change dominant narratives across different curricula subjects. I argue that by incorporating group work, collectivism, discussion, real-life contexts and cross-curricular links, both teachers and children benefit in mutual growth to learn from each other and challenge a colonialist approach. Teaching critical mathematics and social justice allows learners to build strong critical thinking skills, moving towards a better future for themselves, their communities and the wider world. 

Decolonising Epistemologies: Implementing Anti-Racist Pedagogies for Transformative Social Impact – Berisford Lewis 

The call to decolonise epistemologies and implementing anti-racist pedagogies have intensified recently, but the process remains fraught with contradictions, resistance and profound tensions (Saini & Begum, 2020, Zembylas, 2018). While institutions increasingly adopt the language of decolonisation, the transformation required is anything but incremental. This paper interrogates the myth of a smooth transition, arguing instead that such change demands a radical rupture (Fanon, 1963; Adébísí, 2023). 

Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s (1963) claim that “decolonisation is always a violent phenomenon”, this paper frames decolonisation and anti-racism not as a policy shifts, but as a dialectical struggle—between the preservation of institutional order and the necessity of disorder for liberation. The tendency to neutralise decolonisation through bureaucratic reform or diversity rhetoric (Ahmed, 2012) reflects a fear of the deep structural and epistemic dislocation that true transformation entails. As Mbembe (2016) warns, the university must confront its colonial roots not through symbolic gestures, but through a fundamental reimagining of knowledge production itself. 
The tensions inherent in this process are exacerbated by the academic system’s complicity in reproducing colonial logics (Bhambra et al., 2018; Adébísí,2023), and its dependence on forms of authority that must be dismantled for change. This paper thus argues that the desire for a comfortable path to justice is incompatible with the liberatory transcendence Fanon describes. Those seeking transformation must confront alienation, contradiction and the possibility of total disorder (Zembylas, 2018)—or else risk reproducing the very systems they claim to oppose. What are we doing in the name of justice and how is that facilitating social impact? 

Session 3: Education for Social Impact 

Citizens, Not Tourists: Placed-Based Pedagogy in Primary Initial Teacher Education – Steph Jach, Jen Huntsley and Lucy Sors 

A profound connection between a sense of history and a sense of place underscores the essence of place-based pedagogy. This approach integrates learning with local cultural, environmental and historical contexts, fostering a deeper attachment to one’s community and heritage (Gruenewald, 2003; Smith, 2002). 
 
Place-based pedagogy aims to cultivate stronger communities by nurturing a sense of place and belonging (Smith, 2002). For student teachers navigating new and unfamiliar environments, developing a sense of place is crucial. This presentation explores how primary history education can foster a sense of place for both student teachers and the primary pupils they instruct. 
 
We will present case studies from our initial teacher education program, demonstrating how we support students in forming ‘deep, personal, and emotional connections’ to the locality through exploration and engagement with the local environment, emphasizing first-hand experiential learning. Additionally, we will discuss the incorporation of student teachers’ lived experiences and histories, recognising the value of their cultural capital (Smith, 2002; Gruenewald, 2003). 
 
The session will also address strategies for supporting primary teachers effectively in utilising their immediate surroundings to teach history, geography and the wider curriculum, ensuring that both student teachers and pupils develop a meaningful understanding of their local heritage. 

Collaborating with Raise York to Facilitate Social Impact Across Research, Teaching and Civil Society – Carole Pugh, Vanessa Baxter and Rob Newton (City of York Council) 

Given the increasing emphasis on the civic role universities should provide, this presentation considers the potential benefits to universities, students and local communities of increased integration between the three key functions of universities: teaching, research and democratic/civic engagement. This presentation outlines the contribution that collaborative working with Raise York* has made to developing the social impact of York St John across these functions. Collaboration has created opportunities to involve students in developing community-engaged research, facilitating public impact scholarship. Collaboration has also enabled the embedding of impact-informed teaching that allows students to engage with real problems emerging from local practice contexts. Using the collaboration with Raise York as a case study, the presentation seeks to prompt reflection about opportunities, enablers and barriers to increased civic engagement in universities, and the potential benefits for teaching and learning that could be associated with these. 

*Raise York is a strategic partnership that facilitates a network of people, places and online access to support for children, young people and families from pregnancy to adulthood in York. 

Session 4: Inclusive Practice 

The Experiences of Transgender Students at York St John University – Sarah Trussler and Crowley Vyner 

Sarah and her daughter, Crowley, are carrying out a duoethnographic study of Crow’s journey from being born as Harry and starting transition 21 years later. This session focuses on how Crow has experienced HE so far – she is a first-year student at York St John. Crow chose YSJ because of its commitment to social inclusion, justice and impact. She has experienced acceptance from most students and staff, and has some ideas about how she and her LGBTQ+ friends experience services and the academic learning environment, and how this could be even more inclusive. 

The research is based on open-ended conversations between Sarah and Crow on various themes within their transition journey. The session will involve a conversation about how Crow has felt as a transgender student and how this impacts on her learning. We will then widen the discussion to include participants – academic and professional. The aim is to answer questions that staff members maybe haven’t asked in the past because they are not sure if they will be considered prejudicial. The session will create a safe space in which to question and address the issues, and the hope is that this will be very impactful regarding meeting the needs of transgender students – and students from wider LGBTQ+ groups. Crow at 23 has been through challenges as she left her male identity behind but she is now embracing her more authentic self and so she wants to help pave the way for other LGBTQ+ students to have a positive learning experience at YSJ. 

‘Why Isn’t Anybody Speaking?’ Encouraging Participation in Seminars and Group Discussions – Kate Dexter 

Despite your best efforts… despite telling students this seminar was coming… and despite having asked your group of home and international students if they have understood the question… 
 
… why is it, at this moment, and as the minutes tick self-consciously by… no-one is talking? 
 
You can even see some of the students thinking. They know something: it’s evident. But they are absolutely, resolutely… not going to say anything. 
 
Is this familiar? Even with the best of preparation, sometimes it feels as if no-one wants to participate in the discussion at all. And as for discussing it in a group… 
 
This practical session offers advice and practice tasks that may help to encourage your students (home and international) to express and defend their ideas, and to work well with others. Silence is golden… but this is education, not alchemy. 

The Unsung Heroes of UK Higher Education: Understanding the Influence of Third-Space Personnel on Teaching and Learning – Folasade Oyetayo, Joy Itegboje and Prashant Bikram Shah 

In recent years, UK universities have seen a significant rise in the number and influence of “third-space” professionals: individuals operating at the intersection of traditional academic and administrative roles. This research will explore the crucial impact of these professionals on the teaching and learning process within UK universities. The diverse contributions to administrative functions, student support services, technological integration, and faculty collaboration will be examined based on a thorough review of recent literature. This paper will highlight the key themes, challenges and opportunities associated with these vital roles, offering valuable insights for institutional leaders, academic staff and third-space professionals themselves. Though UK-focused, the research draws on international examples to highlight global relevance. 

 
Research focus: 
This research will examine the influence of third space personnel on teaching and learning in UK higher education institutions, focusing on the following key aspects: 
 

Administrative Roles: Facilitating communication, program coordination, and curriculum development alongside academic staff. 

Support Services: Enhancing student wellbeing and academic support. 

 
Technological Integration: Supporting digital pedagogy, IT training, and virtual learning. 
Faculty Collaboration: Enabling interdisciplinary projects and research support. 

 
Attendees will gain insight into third-space roles, their influence on teaching and learning, and implications for institutional policy and practice. The presentation aims to promote greater recognition of this workforce and foster inclusive, responsive practices across the sector. 

Session 5: Climate Change and Environmental Justice 

Art-based Methods in Environment and Climate Change Education: A Participatory and Collaborative Approach to Teaching and Learning in HE – Kasturi Hazarika 

There are many problems facing the real world today that should be addressed; however, they are not easily apparent, and they are mired in layers and layers of complex issues. The task, then, is to identify the interlinkages and grapple with the complexities, working through them in a systematic manner to understand the issues at hand. Climate change and environmental justice present complex challenges that require a collaborative approach and a variety of innovative methods to be addressed effectively. This session will experiment with a method that uses art to prepare students to examine real-world problems, thereby developing their observation skills and levels of engagement. 

This interactive session will encourage participants to make use of the everyday objects they carry with them to develop their awareness and understanding of the environment and climate change. This will be complemented by an art installation on issues surrounding environment and climate change. Viewers/participants will be invited to discuss the exhibits both verbally and in writing. They will also be given the opportunity to respond through collaborative art making, using creativity to depict their understanding of these issues and visualize how to tackle them. 

The philosophy underpinning this interactive session is the idea that although reading and literary analysis might raise awareness of a problem, awareness alone won’t advance the cause. There needs to be real engagement encouraging divergent and out-of-the-box thinking, and a coming together to create innovative solutions; to do something about the issue. Only then can teaching and learning make a tangible impact. Art can help in both visualising and realising possibilities in praxis. 

Session 6: Collaboration, Co-creation and Curriculum Design 

Simple Formative Fun: Teaching Academic Skills to Foundation Year Students – Sarah Crabbe  

Teaching academic skills to foundation year students can be hard work for everyone. I introduced a group formative assessment, ‘Mission to Mars’, quite near to the end of the semester so that the students could see what they had learnt, support their colleagues who had not learnt something and have some fun along the way. Engagement was good: they could see what they did and did not know, and they helped each other to solve the problems along the way. This session will introduce this method of group assessment and evaluate the success of a fun approach to academic skills development. 

(Re)imagining Sustainable Futures: Student-Led Approaches to Responsible Business Management Education and Developing a Sustainability Community of Practice – Tom Ratcliffe, Jenny Hall and Ellie Lloyd 

This presentation investigates the ongoing efforts of York Business School in advancing the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), which aim to integrate sustainability more effectively into the curriculum. The presentation will discuss how sustainability has become an important focus for the Business School through the course revalidation process and its alignment with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to foster a teaching and learning culture centred on sustainability. 

Furthermore, the presentation will discuss a student internship programme which evaluated how a Business School could innovate, evolve and build an ecologically and socially just approach to delivering sustainable business education. The findings from this research encouraged staff to explore ways in which a Higher Education teaching and learning curriculum could engage with ‘wicked’ global problems to develop a sustainability-driven approach that inspires students and staff to envision a future with and ‘beyond sustainability’. Building on Sterling’s model of sustainability curriculum integration (2004, 2003), the presentation considers how a business school culture can be transformed by a focus on an imaginative, creative version of a sustainability curriculum which prioritises knowledge, understanding, skills, collaboration, resilience, opportunity and connection in relation to complex global challenges. The curriculum would also consider the relationship between business and the natural world which business is reliant upon. 

Finally, this presentation discusses the broader impact of York Business School’s sustainability-integrated curriculum – both within the University, through the development of a University-wide Community of Practice for Sustainability, and, on the wider city of York. 

Panel Discussion: Trauma-informed pedagogies and practice 

– Rachel Conlon, Heather Sutherland, Anna Deacon and Mia Bryden 

The new YSJ Pedagogy articulates a commitment to trauma-informed practice, but what does this mean for our staff and students? This panel discussion brings together colleagues with interests and experiences in trauma-informed work to examine the role of trauma-informed pedagogies and practice in higher education. Representing a range of disciplinary and service perspectives, the panel will interrogate the roles and responsibilities of the university and its different Schools and Directorates, the spaces we create and provide, the importance of language and definitions, and trauma-informed approaches to curriculum and their limitations, amongst other points. The session will begin with an opening statement from each of the panel members, followed by a series of set questions posed by the panel chair. The floor will then be opened up for further questions and comments from the audience. It is hoped that as a result of the panel, we can begin to articulate and move towards a whole-university approach to trauma-informed pedagogy and practice, while retaining the nuances of context and discipline. 

Workshops 

Workshop 1. From Industry to Impact: A Collaborative Model for Embedding Employability through Co-Creation and Experiential Approaches – Suzzie O. Aidoo, Francis Achi, Ritika Tiwari and Olalekan Adisa 

This interactive workshop explores a three-stage experiential learning model that embeds employability through dynamic collaboration between educators, industry partners and students. Aligned with the TAT2025 themes of Collaboration, Connection, and Partnerships and Employability and Work-Related Experiential Learning, the session guides participants through a production line of co-designed learning experiences. Attendees will rotate through three hands-on stations: co-designing learning moments with industry briefs, co-creating skill-focused activities from workplace dilemmas, and practising decision-making through simulations. The session concludes with group reflection to examine how this scaffolded approach can be adapted across disciplines. Participants will leave with practical tools and inspiration for implementing co-creation, and experiential strategies that transform learning into real-world impact. 

For this session, please bring a laptop or tablet to use if possible. 

Workshop 2. Course Reps: A Partnership with Social Impact – Kate Pritchard and Lucy Furneaux 

 York St John holds a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and learning for students. Course Reps are a key feature in how this commitment is mobilised via a collaboration between the University and SU. Within the current ever-evolving educational landscape, the complexities of teaching and learning extend beyond the classroom – this is why our commitment to teaching and learning excellence necessitates a comprehensive approach which centres collaboration between academic staff and students at its core. A central part of this collaboration is an understanding of what academics require from an academic representation system and the current challenges of student engagement. Through the exploration of different perspectives, this workshop will help to inform changes to our representation system and open up conversations around different responsibilities. We will hold discussions around what is currently working, what doesn’t, as well as an opportunity to share best practices and challenge current feedback processes. 

Workshop 3. O Brave New World: Film Screening with Q&A – Rachel Conlon 

O Brave New World is a 30-minute documentary film that advocates for the value of collaborative and partnership ways of working between the arts, higher education & the criminal justice system. Created by the YSJ Prison Partnership Project, HMP New Hall and KPPL Productions, the film explores the learning and insight gained from a co-designed drama and creative arts project co-delivered by YSJ academics and students, artists, and women and staff in prison. The film will be shown and a Q&A will follow, offering an opportunity for further discussion and exploration into the attuned and collaborative ways of working developed, and outcomes achieved between the partners along the way. 

The film takes you directly into HMP New Hall (a closed women’s prison in the UK) and follows a trauma-informed theatre project co-delivered by YSJ Prison Partnership Project, KPPL Productions and HMP New Hall. The film advocates for collaborative partnership ways of working between higher education, the arts and the criminal justice system. 
 
See also: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/prison-partnership-project/shakespeare-on-screen-in-prison/#:~:text=Shakespeare%20on%20Screen%20in%20Prison%20(SoSiP)%20is%20a%20partnership%20between,female%20prison%20in%20West%20Yorkshire)  

3rd SpARK Pop-Up Staff Room 

Facilitated by Kate Dexter, Chris Whiting and Laura Key 

Over the conference lunch break, you will have the opportunity to visit a pop-up staff room hosted by the 3rd SpARK (3rd Space Action, Research and Knowledge) Community of Practice. While this initiative began as a way of bringing together colleagues in the ‘third space’ (roles that sit somewhere ‘on the border’ between academic and professional staff), the remit has broadened due to popular demand, and our lunch break sessions now offer a community space open to all staff at YSJ. 

The pop-up staff room is relaxing space where you can meet colleagues from across the university for informal conversations and crafts (no obligation to take part) – or just come along for a break from the main conference programme. Intended to be a calm, rejuvenating environment, the pop-up staff room won’t have a set agenda, and you can come and go as you please during the hour. You will also be given the chance to give feedback and share ideas about what you would like to see at future pop-up staff room events. 

*To receive joining instructions for the hybrid strand of the conference, please email tes@yorksj.ac.uk.  

Conference lead: Laura Key (l.key@yorksj.ac.uk)  

Teaching and Learning Enhancement: (tes@yorksj.ac.uk)  

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Previous years’ programmes

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