Conference welcome and opening ceremony & Keynote: Pedagogical Leadership for an Unknown Future, Dr Mary C. Wright Professor of Educational Scholarship, University of Sydney
Tracks
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7
Track 8
Track 9
Track 10
Track 11
| Tuesday, July 7, 2026 |
| 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM |
| Stephen Riady Centre (SRC) UTown Auditorium 2 Level 1 |
| Sponsored By: |
Overview
Stephen Riady Centre (SRC) UTown Auditorium 2 Level 1
+ Live Stream is also available in Stephen Riady Centre (SRC) Lecture Theatre LT50, Lecture Theatre LT51, Level 1 and Lecture Theatre LT52, Lecture Theatre LT53, Level 2
Details
Singapore Opening Ceremony
Traditional Lion Dance performance by Xiong Feng Dragon & Lion Dance Cultural Troupe
NUS welcome
Prof. Tan Eng Chye, President, National University of Singapore (NUS)
HERDSA 2026 Conference welcome
Dr Misty So-Sum Wai-Cook & Dr Mark Gan Joo Seng, National University of Singapore, HERDSA 2026 Conference Convenor
Dr Manisha Thakkar, HERDSA Vice President
Assoc Prof Tania Leach, HERDSA Executive
Associate Provost, Prof Melvin Yap, Associate Provost (Education & Technology) and Head (Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, CTLT), National University of Singapore (NUS)
HERDSA President's Address
Prof Christy Collis, HERDSA President SFHEA
SPONSOR ADDRESS:
Principal Sponsor Address
Epigeum, A Sage Resource
Ms Lucy Cook, Senior Academic Partnerships Manager, Epigeum, Part of Sage Publishing
KEYNOTE
Dr Mary C. Wright Professor of Educational Scholarship, University of Sydney
Pedagogical Leadership for an Unknown Future
In his 2012 article, "Learning for an Unknown Future," philosopher Ronald Barnett writes, "A pedagogy for an unknown future becomes a pedagogy with the unknown built into it as living principles of educational exchanges and accomplishments." If we are to think about organizational learning for an unknown future—with academics and institutions themselves as learners—what does pedagogical leadership with the "unknown built into it" look like?
Here, I argue that distributed pedagogical leadership is both more critical than ever and increasingly challenging to enact in today's complex higher education landscape. As the issues facing higher education have multiplied, organizations must shift their approaches. Drawing on recent research about pedagogical leaders and theories of change, I examine levers and frameworks for building this capacity—enabling higher education organisations and the academics within them to adapt and reimagine their practices for unknown futures.
Speaker
Prof Mary Wright
University of Sydney
Pedagogical Leadership for an Unknown Future
9:00 AM - 10:00 AMBiography
Dr Mary C. Wright is currently serving as Professor of Educational Scholarship at the Division of Teaching and Learning, DVC (Education & Students) at the University of Sydney, Australia. Prior, Mary served for over eight years as Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning, Executive Director of the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, and a Professor (Research) in the Department of Sociology, Brown University (US). Previous to Brown, Mary worked at the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching for 13 years.
Mary is a co-editor of the International Journal for Academic Development (IJAD), the journal of the International Consortium for Educational Development. She is a former president (2017-18) of the POD Network, the US professional association for educational development, and in 2024, she won the organisation's highest honour, the Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award. Her books include: Centers for Teaching and Learning: The New Landscape of Higher Education (Johns Hopkins Press, 2023), Developing High-Impact Course Design Institutes: A Model for Change (Troisi, Palmer, Wright, Hostetler & Hurney; Routledge, 2025); and Always at Odds? Creating Alignment Between Faculty and Administrative Values (SUNY Press, 1998). Educational Development in an Age of Change (Wright, Tracie Addy, Brey Eynon & Jaclyn Rivard) has anticipated publication from JHUP in 2026.
Keynote chair
Lucy Cook
Senior Academic Partnerships Manager
Epigeum, A Sage Resource
Tania Leach
HERDSA Conference Program Chair, University of Southern Queensland, HERDSA Executive
Plenary chair
Mark Gan Joo Seng
Associate Director
HERDSA Conference Co-Convenor, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, National University of Singapore
Misty So-Sum Wai-Cook
HERDSA Conference Co-Convenor, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, National University of Singapore
