Talking Learning and Teaching returns with a brand-new season, and host Kevin Merry kicks things off with big updates and even bigger opportunities. In this episode, Kevin shares what’s been brewing during the break — including the launch of his new book Better Assessment in Higher Education, a series of new live CPD courses, and the brand-new UDL Night School for busy educators.

You’ll also hear about some great limited-time offers, including:
✅ Free toolkits with course registration
✅ Free paperback books for early sign-ups
✅ A free online book launch event coming soon

Plus, Kevin puts out an open call for new podcast guests — so if you’ve got an idea or story worth sharing, he wants to hear from you.

• If you want to be a guest on the show contact me at [email protected].
• Book onto a live course: Workshops/Courses | Dr Kevin L. Merry
• Book onto a UDL Night School Session: UDL Night School | Dr Kevin L. Merry
• Get a Toolkit as a standalone resource: Training Materials | Dr Kevin L. Merry

• Book onto the book launch: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1461782624179?aff=oddtdtcreator

Exciting News Update! 🎉 In this jam-packed episode, we’ve got some big announcements you won’t want to miss! First up, we’re celebrating a new milestone for the podcast with some incredible accolades that reflect the amazing support from all of you. Thank you for being part of this journey!

But that’s not all! I’m thrilled to announce the release of my brand new book, and in this episode, I’ll be sharing all the exciting details about the upcoming online book launch event! This is an exclusive opportunity to join me live, get a sneak peek at the book’s content, and even grab some special bonuses!

As if that wasn't enough, I’ve got a special offer on some of my teacher training resources that will help you level up your skills and bring even more value to your students. You won’t want to miss out on this limited-time deal.

Finally, I’m beyond excited to give you a sneak peek at the brand new Better Assessment in Higher Education course launching this spring! This online course will take your assessment strategies to the next level—whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or educator looking to make an impact.

Stay tuned, because there’s so much more to come, and I can’t wait to share it all with you!

For teacher training resources: https://drkevinl.wixsite.com/drkevinlmerry/about-5-1

Contact me at [email protected]

Follow me @kevinudlmerry

In this lovely episode we discuss the route taken into Educational Development with Aaron Thom from the University of Aberdeen. Most of us working in Ed Dev got here in a weird and wonderful way and Aaron's story is no different! Aaron talks to us about his academic life before becoming an educational developer. He discusses the key strengths and skills that he brought into his educational development role which helped him transition, as well as discussing the key challenges he faced too. Aaron provides some great reflections on how his view of learning and teaching have changed as a result of his journey. Sit back, relax and listen to Aaron tell his fascinating story about his route into Educational Development.

Aaron's academic background is as an art historian, who specialises in the art of Caravaggio and his followers. He graduated with my PhD from the University of Aberdeen in 2015, which was supervised by John Gash. Aaron is interested in all matters of Connoisseurship, not just from the seventeenth century. He has published articles about Tommaso Salini and Battistello Caracciolo, as well as appearing in a short film about the authorship of the Perth Museum and Art Gallery's Baroque Christ displaying his wounds.

Before transferring to Educational Development in the Centre for Academic Development (CAD) in 2021, Aaron worked as a Teaching Fellow in History of Art. He taught at all undergraduate levels and ultimately co-ordinated the Master's programme in Art and Business, as well as running fieldtrips. Aaron has also worked in CAD as an Academic Skills Adviser for Academic Writing. 

Currently, Aaron co-ordinates the Principles of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education course (PLTHE), which sits within the School of Education. This course is popular with final year Postgraduate Research Students who teach or demonstrate, as well as early-career staff. Furthermore, he co-ordinates many staff development sessions around teaching, namely the Introduction to Teaching sessions for doctoral students, the Micro-credential short courses in Enhancing your Teaching, and the Learning and Teaching in Higher Education course for new academic staff at the University of Aberdeen.

Aaron is interested in inclusive learning environments (online and in-person), Decolonising learning, and presentation skills.

In this episode, we dive into the world of HyFlex learning with Professor Brian Beatty, the visionary behind the HyFlex model. We explore the pedagogical principles that guided its creation and how it meets the diverse needs of today's learners. Professor Beatty shares insights on learning outcomes across in-person, synchronous online, and asynchronous participation, revealing the factors that shape student success in this flexible approach.

We also tackle the practical side of HyFlex teaching - how educators can manage the complexities of course design and delivery, and strategies to ensure equity and access for all learners, especially those facing technological or connectivity challenges. Finally, we look to the future: how will HyFlex evolve in response to new technologies and shifting landscapes? Whether you're an educator, administrator or curious learner, this episode offers a thought provoking exploration of the HyFlex model and its potential to transform learning and teaching.

In this episode of the Talking, Learning, and Teaching Podcast, we dive into the future of inclusive education with assistive technology expert Chris Bugaj. From captions that keep students engaged to AI tools that personalize learning, Chris explains how assistive tech is evolving to benefit all learners—not just those with disabilities. Discover practical tips on using tools like speech-to-text, visual aids, and even generative AI to make classrooms more adaptable and engaging. Whether you’re an educator, student, or tech enthusiast, this conversation will change the way you think about learning.

Chris Bugaj is an assistive technology specialist and self-described "inclusive design facilitator" for Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. With years of experience in assistive technology, Chris focuses on transforming educational environments to make them more inclusive and accessible for all learners. He has authored multiple books, including The New Assistive Tech: Make Learning Awesome for All and Inclusive Learning 365: EdTech Strategies for Every Day of the Year, both published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). A seasoned podcaster, Chris co-hosts Talking with Tech, where he explores augmentative and alternative communication, advocating for tech innovations that often originate for accessibility but benefit everyone.

In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into the fast-evolving world of AI and digital literacies with Dr Ann Thanaraj, unpacking why these are must-have skills for today’s higher education students. We start by defining what AI and digital literacies really mean and explore why they’re critical for navigating our digital age. Ann shares insights into how universities are embedding these skills into their curricula, despite facing significant challenges, and highlights some cutting-edge teaching methods and frameworks making waves across diverse disciplines.

But we go deeper - beyond digital fluency - into the power of interdisciplinary opportunities. Why is blending knowledge from different fields increasingly vital for students’ academic and career success? How are these cross-disciplinary pathways reshaping the student experience and enhancing career readiness? Ann shares what the future might hold for interdisciplinary education and how it’s set to transform higher education over the next decade. Whether you’re an educator, student, or just curious about the future of learning, this episode offers a roadmap for navigating and thriving in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

In this episode, we dive deep into the growing importance of student belonging in higher education with Professor Rebecca Hodgson. We explore why this concept has become a central focus today, examining what's missing in current discussions and how changes in the socio-economic landscape, like the rise of commuting students, are reshaping the sense of community on campuses. Rebecca shares practical strategies universities can adopt to foster belonging in academic spaces like lectures, seminars, and workshops. We also discuss the evolving role of technology—its potential to both enhance and challenge student connections—and the critical skills academics need to build inclusive communities. Finally, we consider the long-term impacts of embedding belonging into the student experience amid financial constraints and evolving demands in higher education. Tune in to discover how institutions can create environments where all students feel seen, supported, and connected.

Rebecca Hodgson is Professor of Higher Education in the Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. With a background in adult and community learning and development, followed by post-16 teacher education, she has developed her career in teaching and learning leadership across a diversity of settings in UK higher education. Her values are grounded in her practitioner background, and centre on the provision of an excellent student experience via authentic leadership, the support and development of academic staff, and effective partnership working with all stakeholders in the exchange that is education. Her research interests include professional identity in academics and higher education staff more broadly, exploring belonging, mattering, and self-efficacy, and the intersection of this with the student experience and student outcomes.

In this awesome episode, Professor of Compassion-Focused Pedagogy, Theo Gilbert focuses on supporting the sector's move towards teaching, learning and credit-bearing assessment of cognitive compassion as in effective team meeting/discussion management. Examples at University of Hertfordshire are seen in Law, Engineering, Computer Science, History and Business. This is done via filmed, research-driven, student team/groupwork discussions where criticality is key. 

 But what do the verbal and non-verbal micro skills of cognitive (not 'emotion-based') compassionate communications in student team/group work actually mean and how do they motivate and equip students to build the psychological safety and space for each other to think at their best - resourcefully and innovatively. Here is what this authentic ('research + criticality + effective group management') assessment addresses as seen in studies so far: students' inappropriate use of AI; employers' stated needs for good graduate team and communication skills; indefensible awarding gaps; unnecessarily heavy marking workloads on staff; and student-reported enhancements to engagement and interculturalisation with 'others' in studies so far across disciplines and compared to controls.

 Universities across the sector are accessing and deploying new evidence - from the neurosciences, anthropology, psychology - on the nature of cognitive compassion not just into their classrooms but into their five-year strategic plans too. In this episode, Theo shows in very practical terms, how any teacher can legitimise their students' appetites to help dismantle the destructive types of competitive individualism on which current HE is too much based, and so help us stem the waste of staff and student belonging and achievement potentials. A truly fabulous episode!

Based at University of Hertfordshire's Centre for Learning, Access and Student Success, and Business School.  He is creator of the Compassion in HE Network with its website of free, practical resources for any compassion-curious educator:  

https://compassioninhe.wordpress.com/.  The network is of staff from, so far, 90 universities across 12 countries to help each other get the science of cognitive compassion onto the curricula, in almost any discipline that assesses team/group work.  He is very keen to support and link staff with others in their disciplines and/or beyond, and has supported effective teamwork at, e.g., the National Crime Agency, the Home Office, The Food Standard’s agency. He’s the 2018 Advance HE's/Times Higher's Most Innovative Teacher of the Year and a keynote speaker at the Annual National Teaching Fellow/CATE Symposium (2020).    He has a strong presence on You Tube and is published in a number of journals and book chapters. Contact: [email protected] for help or support.

In this captivating episode, we speak with Joe Houghton about how AI can transform accessibility in the learning environment. Joe discusses the most effective technologies for education, how AI can personalize learning experiences, the major challenges of integrating AI into teaching, and methods for measuring the effectiveness of various AI tools. He also shares his insights on the advancements we might see in the next five to ten years that could further revolutionize accessibility in education, and offers advice for educators on preparing for these changes. This is a must-listen episode for anyone involved in supporting student learning!

Joe Houghton serves as an Assistant Professor at the Smurfit Graduate School of Business at University College Dublin in Ireland. Renowned for his extensive contributions to education, he produces a wide array of books, podcasts, instructional videos, and webinars. His latest intellectual pursuit involves exploring the latest trends in Artificial Intelligence, leading to the release of his book, "Applying Artificial Intelligence to Close the Accessibility Gap."