About

Purpose of the Conference

Hope through Transformation: Advancing Sustainability, Inclusion, and Digital Innovation in Higher Education Practices

The purpose of ITLC 2026 is to provide a platform for HE practitioners, researchers, managers, executives, leaders, and policymakers to engage critically with the evolving challenges and opportunities in teaching and learning. Building on the foundation of ITLC 2025, ITLC 2026: Hope through Transformation: Advancing Sustainability, Inclusion, and Digital Innovation in Higher Education Practices seeks to explore how institutions, practitioners and academics can transform moments of crisis and places of desperation into opportunities for innovation, inclusion, and hope. A central focus is on leveraging digital technologies and AI to create learning environments that are accessible, equitable, and responsive to diverse student needs.

The conference is aimed at centralising the discourse and debates on sustainability and digital/transformation in HE, while sustainability is viewed holistically, encompassing not only environmental considerations, but also pedagogical practices, institutional resilience, and the long-term well-being of students and staff. Transformation involves reimagining curricula, policies, and institutional cultures to foster inclusivity, decolonisation, and human-centred innovation. By highlighting successful strategies and emerging practices, ITLC 2026 will encourage institutions to adopt approaches that are both forward-looking and socially responsible.

Ultimately, ITLC 2026 seeks to inspire and equip participants to implement meaningful change in their institutions. Through presentations, workshops, and interactive sessions, the conference will showcase practical applications of AI, inclusive digital learning practices, and innovative pedagogical approaches that promote equity and collaboration. The purpose is to move HE communities from vulnerability to empowerment, from fragmentation to cohesion, and from places of desperation to genuine spaces of hope where students and educators can thrive in harmony and togetherness.

Aims and objectives of the conference

ITLC 2026 is aimed at providing a robust and safe platform for HE practitioners, researchers, and allied stakeholders to explore, learn, contest, and share innovative, inclusive, and human-centred approaches/practices to teaching, learning, and student support. The conference will be focused on invoking best practices, debates and discourses around inclusive digital technologies, AI, sustainable development, and transformation to create resilient, responsive, and wellness-oriented learning environments.

Objectives:

  • To stimulate dialogue and discussion on revolutionising sustainability, transformation, and holistic well-being into curricula, institutional teaching and learning practices, and policies.
  • To encourage collaboration across institutions, industry, and stakeholders to share best practices and co-create solutions that support transformation, translanguaging, multilingualism, mental, emotional, and academic and student well-being.
  • To showcase research, innovations, and case studies in inclusive digital teaching learning and student support, as well as AI-enhanced education.
  • To provide professional development opportunities for all HE practitioners to implement human-centred, innovative, and wellness-oriented teaching practices.
  • To build on lessons from ITLC 2025 to advance innovative and inspiring HE practices.
  • To facilitate collaborative research initiatives that emerge from the conference discussions and deliberations.

Tracks and themes of the conference (not limited to)

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education

  • Integrating AI into teaching, learning, and assessment
  • Ethical and responsible use of AI in HE
  • AI for student support and personalised learning pathways

Immersive and Experiential Learning Environments

  • Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality for HE
  • Simulation and gamification for deeper engagement
  • Beyond the classroom: creating hybrid immersive spaces

Student Digital Resilience and Well-Being

  • Supporting student mental health in digital-first universities
  • Equity and access in the face of digital divides
  • Building resilience for lifelong learning in fast-changing tech landscapes

Inclusive and Decolonial Pedagogies in a Digital Age

  • African perspectives in digital teaching and learning
  • Culturally responsive in teaching and learning
  • Redefining knowledge systems for global equity

Reimagining Teaching, Learning, and Support Ecosystem

  • Data-driven decision-making and learning analytics for enhancing student support and teaching practices
  • New roles for academic staff in digitally transformed universities
  • Human-centred student support systems in HE
  • Future literacies for uncertain futures: preparing students through expanded cognitive literacies (inclusive language, code-switching, disability access), digital literacies, ethical literacies, and social and global literacies to thrive in complex, AI-driven and evolving HE landscapes

Sustainability, Green Technologies, and the Future of Higher Education

  • Eco-friendly digital infrastructures
  • Linking education technology to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
  • Responsible innovation for a just and sustainable future

Translanguaging in Higher Education

  • Pedagogical strategies for translanguaging
  • Language inclusion and equity
  • Digital tools and AI for multilingual learning
  • Africanisation of language practices
  • Approaches to assess multilingual students fairly while promoting translanguaging
  • Evidence-based studies and practices on the impact of translanguaging on learning outcomes, student engagement, and well-being

Curriculum/Scholarship of Transformation and Abundance Intelligence

  • Embedding African knowledge systems, values, and perspectives in curricula and institutional practices
  • Addressing access, diversity, and social justice in African HE
  • Leveraging technology to drive transformation in teaching, learning, and research
  • Integrating environmental, institutional, and pedagogical sustainability in African contexts
  • Supporting student, academic, and staff wellness as part of transformational initiatives
  • Developing institutional, national, and continental policies that drive African transformation in HE
  • Rethinking curricula and strategies for integrating AI and digital tools to create inclusive and accessible learning environments that meet diverse student needs
  • Showcasing case studies and best practices that leverage AI and digital technologies to enhance educational outcomes and promote Africanisation collaboration across institutions

Format

The conference will follow a hybrid modality – both physical and online attendance and participation. The conference will feature a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, poster sessions, and networking opportunities. Renowned experts and thought leaders in the field of HE will deliver keynote addresses, providing insights and perspectives on the latest trends and challenges, as well as corresponding mitigation strategies.

Post-conference:

Workshops

The ITLC 2026 will also include four post-conference workshops focusing on:

  1. Transformation (institutional and curriculum)
  2. Translanguaging and multilingualism
  3. Human-centred student support
  4. AI-enhanced teaching and learning

Proposed Activities

  • Webinars
  • Policy brief
  • Establishing platforms and forums for networking, collaborations
  • Exchange programmes

Target audience (not limited to)

  • HE faculty and administrators
  • Educational researchers
  • Policymakers
  • Student support professionals
  • Graduate students
  • Educational technology developers
  • Non-governmental organisations involved in education

Expected outcomes of the conference

  • Developing and disseminating a policy brief to guide decision-making and inform practice
  • Creating networking opportunities to strengthen professional and institutional linkages
  • Establishing collaborations to enhance research, teaching, and innovation
  • Forming communities of practice to facilitate knowledge exchange and shared learning
  • Publishing a special edition of a DHET-accredited journal to showcase scholarly contributions

Sponsorship

Please contact the following persons at Unisa for enquiries on sponsorship for the ITLC 2026 conference:

Ms Lynette van Niekerk
Department of Institutional Advancement
Tel: 012 441 5830 | Cell: 082 599 7266 | Email: Vniekl1@unisa.ac.za

Mr Lloyd R Modjadji
Department of Institutional Advancement
Development Officer
Unisa Foundation and Alumni Relations
Tel: 012 441 5686 | Cell: 084 583 3992 | Email: Modjalr@unisa.ac.za

Contact details of the Local Organising Committee

Chairperson: Prof. MD Magano, Executive Director: Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning

Deputy Chairperson: Dr Makgato Khunou, Director: Institutional Support and Services