Event details
- Date
Tuesday 24 November 2026 - Venue
Loughborough University, LE11 3TU - Organised by
Centre for AI in Education (CAIED) - Supported by
The Operational Research Society and East Midlands Institute of Technology - Attendance
By prior confirmation; up to 80 places
About the workshop
Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in learning and teaching, but institutions are at very different stages of adoption. Moving beyond small-scale experimentation requires more than access to individual AI tools. Institutions also need access to suitable models and the computing or inference capacity to use them, alongside technical infrastructure, governance, data protection, practical support and evaluation.
This raises a sector-wide question. Which challenges should institutions address locally, and which would benefit from a coordinated approach?
Loughborough University’s Centre for AI in Education is organising a national, sector-led workshop to bring together educational, strategic and technical perspectives. The event will be exploratory, evidence-led and provider-neutral, with a focus on identifying shared requirements and whether coordinated sector follow-up would be useful.
What will be discussed?
Questions for discussion will include:
- Access and capacity What limits institutions’ ability to explore and evaluate AI, including access to models, services and computing capacity?
- Beyond pilot projects What changes when an AI use case moves beyond a small pilot, particularly in cost, inference demand, integration, reliability and procurement?
- Responsible exploration What governance, data protection, technical support, academic support and skills are needed to make informed educational decisions?
- Sector-wide collaboration Which challenges are mainly institutional, which are shared, and where might coordinated capabilities or services help?
Workshop format
The morning session will include keynote presentations, followed by a panel discussion bringing together sector and institutional perspectives. The afternoon will involve structured group discussions to identify shared challenges, explore practical responses and consider opportunities for collective action.
Outputs will be captured in a concise workshop report and a summary of shared sector requirements. Where there is sufficient interest, follow-up may include a working group, consortium or joint funding activity.
Speaker details and the final programme will be announced as arrangements are confirmed.
Who should attend?
The workshop is intended primarily for UK higher education, with relevant participation from further education, sector bodies and government. It will be particularly relevant to:
- Senior institutional and sector leaders responsible for education strategy, or their nominated representatives.
- AI and digital strategy leads and those responsible for learning technology and AI implementation, or their nominated representatives.
Priority will be given to those able to contribute institutional experience, inform decisions and support follow-up action. Places are intended for active participants rather than general observer attendance.
Express an interest
Participants offered a place will receive a separate registration form. A delegate pack, including the final programme and practical information about the event, will be sent to confirmed participants closer to the workshop date. A registration form will be sent separately to those invited to attend, and joining instructions will be provided to confirmed participants.