Keynote speakers 2026

Dr. Bart Rienties is Professor of Learning Analytics and Director of the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at the Open University UK (OU). Since IET was established in 1970 we have been central to the OU’s mission to be the world leader in researching, innovating and delivering supported, open and distance learning. As educational psychologist, he conducts multi-disciplinary research on work-based and collaborative learning environments and focuses on the role of social interaction in learning, which is published in leading academic journals and books. His primary research interests are focussed on Learning Analytics, Learning Design, and the role of motivation in learning. Furthermore, Bart is interested in broader internationalisation aspects of higher education. He has successfully led a range of institutional/national/European projects, currently leads the £5M Research Capacity Hub for ESRC, and has received a range of awards for his educational innovation projects. Until May 2026 he is President of the Society of Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR), the largest researcher community on learning analytics. He has published over 300 academic outputs, and is the 1st most published and cited author on learning design and learning analytics in the period 2014-2023 (Drugova et al. 2024), the 2nd most published author on learning analytics in period 2004-2024 (Kılıç & İzmirli, 2024), Networks in Education in period 1969-2020 (Saqr et al. 2022), and social network analysis in period 1988-2022 (Gandasari et al., 2024)

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Dr. Eduardo Oliveira is a Senior Lecturer and Assistant Dean (Diversity and Inclusion) at the University of Melbourne. Drawing on 16 years of industry experience as a senior software engineer for corporations like Motorola and Samsung, his multidisciplinary research bridges Artificial Intelligence, Learning Analytics, and Software Engineering. Guided by models of self-regulated learning, his predominantly quantitative research combines learning analytics trace data with self-reported surveys to explore responsible human-AI interactions, writing analytics, and the design of scalable pedagogical infrastructures that assure learning and preserve student agency. Actively translating research into practice, he has deployed “human-in-the-loop” AI tools for over 4,700 students and a GenAI framework upskilling 1,400+ staff. He has secured over $1.7M AUD in competitive funding, leading major initiatives in AI in education for the Commonwealth, the Australian eSafety Commissioner, TOEFL® (USA), and CNPq (Brazil). A celebrated educator, his accolades include SFHEA (2025), the GEM Scott Teaching Fellowship (2024), the Edward Brown Award for T&L Excellence (2023), and the FEIT Kelvin Medal for T&L Excellence (2022).

As Generative AI reshapes higher education, institutions in Australia have faced a critical mandate from regulatory bodies like TEQSA: move beyond the defensive policing of academic misconduct and proactively scaffold responsible AI use. This keynote presents an applied, practical approach to cultivating human-AI hybrid intelligence in the classroom while rigorously aligning with institutional secured assessment requirements. Drawing on large-scale curriculum innovations at the University of Melbourne that have impacted over 6,000 staff and students, Dr. Oliveira will walk attendees through a suite of successful learning analytics and AI initiatives he has led to assure learning. The presentation will highlight applied examples such as the deployment of the IntelliJourney platform to support self-regulated learning and a university-wide GenAI literacy framework developed through the GEM Scott Fellowship. It will also showcase the engineering of custom “human-in-the-loop” tools including GenAI code-reviewers that provide formative feedback rather than automated solutions, and motivational modelling platforms that help students refine software requirements while strictly preserving their cognitive agency. Furthermore, the session will examine the strategic transition of large-size classrooms toward Interactive Oral Assessments and other secured assessment approaches as robust mechanisms to authenticate student competence. Ultimately, this keynote offers educators and institutional leaders a scalable blueprint for leveraging learning analytics and AI to foster learner agency, capture reliable evidence of learning, and rebuild trust in an AI-augmented educational landscape.

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Teemu Roos is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki. He is also the leader of the AI Education programme at the Finnish Center for AI. Roos is the lead instructor of the Elements of AI online course has a pivotal role in Finland’s unique, inclusive AI strategy, with over 450 000 participants to date.

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