Big Ideas.
Sector Voices.
Meaningful Dialogue.
Curious Conversations is a dynamic keynote series featuring renowned voices from across the higher and tertiary education sector. It invites thought-provoking insights on timely and challenging topics in quality assurance and enhancement.
Each session is designed to inspire fresh thinking and critical discussion, with space for open audience participation and an extended Q&A.
Curious Conversations provides an opportunity to engage directly with sector leaders and to explore the ideas that are shaping the future of higher education.
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Professor Annie Hughes
Annie Hughes is a professor in higher education pedagogy. Her current role is Head of Learning and Teaching Enhancement in Academic Services at Kingston University, where she is responsible for ensuring that academic learning and teaching practices are effective and inclusive and ensure an equality of opportunity for all students. In this role, she leads the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Centre and has oversight of academic staff development, curriculum design and enhancement and technology enhanced learning.
Annie has held a number of roles at Kingston University (including Head of Academic Staff Development, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, School Director of Learning and Teaching and course director for geography programmes). Her research is focused on inclusive learning and teaching practices in higher education. Throughout her academic career she has been privileged to interact with inspiring students from a huge range of backgrounds who have taught her the inherent value of diversity. These interactions have driven her commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion as key considerations in higher education.
Securing the ‘Higher’ in Higher Education: AI, Integrity and the Future of Learning
On 21 January 2026, we were delighted to be joined by Professor Annie Hughes from Kingston University for a Curious Conversation about Generative AI.
Using her reflections from a successful QAA-funded Collaborative Enhancement Project, Annie explored how AI is pushing higher education to confront its deepest questions, not just around assessment integrity, but around what makes learning higher. Can AI shape new thinking? How is cognitive offloading impacting the learning experience? How real is the danger of narrowing diverse ways of knowing?
This Curious Conversation asked what this means for trust and inclusion and how institutions can protect meaningful, diverse, human-centred learning in an AI-driven world.
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Dr Elizabeth Norton is an experienced policy advisor with particular expertise on higher education regulatory practice, compliance and legislation. She is an influential voice on the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, and provided evidence to the Bill Committee to advise on the passage of the Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Act 2023. Her work at the Coventry University Group focuses on the long-term strategy of engaging and influencing politicians, policymakers and organisations in Westminster, Whitehall and beyond. Lizzie also teaches in higher education and holds a doctorate in Archaeology.
Future-proofing higher education: Embracing modular learning and the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE)
Our second Curious Conversation of the academic year features Dr Elizabeth Norton, Senior Policy Adviser at Coventry University.
In this session we explore the opportunities and challenges of modular provision in higher education, including the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). Lizzie explores practical actions institutions can take to better embrace modular provision. Using tangible examples from a provider already taking steps to implement modular provision, she shares insights that could be adapted to suit other institutions.
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Dr Brooke Storer-Church, Chief Executive Officer at GuildHE, since June 2014. With 12 years of experience in higher education leadership, she's a true champion for the sector and a firm believer in empowering colleagues to develop with curiosity and courage. Brooke is passionate about leading the sector towards a better future by shining a light on diverse institutions, driving her vision for GuildHE, to build on its strong foundation and create an even more dynamic, supportive and publicly-engaged organisation.
Maintaining quality in challenging times: Perspectives from the frontline
QAA Chief Executive Vicki Stott led our first Curious Conversation with Dr Brooke Storer-Church, CEO of Guild HE, during our Autumn 2025 Quality Insights conference. The discussion considered how we sustain high-quality teaching and learning during periods of uncertainty. Brooke started by looking back over the past decade as the sector's head winds have been "picking up speed".
"It has been a bit turbulent," she said. "And increasingly so… We have been under sustained political attacks. Those attacks have usually suggested the value of higher education is overrated." She suggested that the first positive thing about the Labour government was that it came into power with some warm words about ending the negative rhetoric about universities and addressing the sector's financial crisis.
However, she pointed out that today "the sector is being asked to do more with less" – including its contributions to economic growth and community cohesion, and raising the bar on teaching standards – as we await further news on funding. "We are expecting an interesting budget in the autumn, which could include a multi-year settlement for higher education," she said. "We're pushing for that."
Considering the impacts of such factors as volatile immigration policies, unpredictable geopolitical dynamics, challenging recruitment markets, questions about partnerships and grade inflation, and the prospect of increasing regulation, she emphasised that "while this is all going on, the storm is intensifying". Brooke concluded that in order to successfully navigate "these stormy waters", we must defend excellence and denounce poor practice, experiment with new approaches, build local advocacy, and recognise that "standing still is not an option" and that "this is an opportunity to evolve and grow"..."The sector can only ride this storm together," she said.