Language, Assessment & Disciplinary Specialism in UK-China TNE Conference
About the conference
Language, assessment and disciplinary specialism in UK-China Transnational Education: a space for collaboration
Thursday 30th October 2025, University of Leeds
This conference has now taken place. Thank you to all who attended.
Conference Reflections and Outcomes
The Language, Assessment and Disciplinary Specialism in UK-China TNE conference took place on Thursday 30th October 2025 at the University of Leeds, bringing together colleagues working in transnational education (TNE) across the UK and China. The event, which operated in hybrid format to facilitate international participation, proved to be a genuinely engaging and collaborative experience.
Inclusive, Flexible, and Accessible
Inclusivity was central to the conference design. The hybrid format facilitated participation and presentation from colleagues across different geographical locations and time zones, whether attending in person or online.
We welcomed 121 participants from 51 institutions spanning the UK, China, Ireland, Bangladesh, Sweden, and Luxembourg. Of these, 52 colleagues joined us in person in Leeds whilst 69 participated online, enabling us to maintain truly transnational engagement across the world.
To further support accessibility, we are pleased to make recordings of conference sessions and the book of abstracts available. These resources allow colleagues to explore sessions they missed and revisit those they attended, whether you joined us in person, online, or are encountering the conference for the first time.
A Space for Collaboration
The day achieved its core aim of creating a collaborative space where content and language specialists could share practice, pedagogy, and research. Keynotes from Jim McKinley and Heath Rose, along with presentations from invited speakers John Airey and Katrien Deroey, set the stage for rich discussions. Our closing panel featuring Jen McDougall, Alex Runchman, Katrien Deroey, Adrian Shi, and one of our students Xingyuan Wu, brought together diverse perspectives and insights. Throughout the day, three parallel themes structured our sessions:
- Integrative TNE curriculum design
- Collaborative TNE practices
- Assessment literacy in TNE contexts
The talks and workshops exploring these themes sparked meaningful dialogue and opened new pathways for future partnerships.
Looking Forward
One day proved insufficient to explore everything our community has to share. We remain committed to continuing these conversations and welcome proposals for future collaborative initiatives. If you would like to discuss partnership opportunities or share outcomes from the event, please do get in touch.
Acknowledgement
The conference was funded by the Enabling collaborative academic development, research & entrepreneurship (eCADRE) across UK-China TNE project, which was supported by a “Going Global Partnerships - Enabling Grants UK-China 2021” grant from the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme.
Organising Committee
Jen McDougall, University of Glasgow
Costas Loizou, University of Leeds
Joanne Shiel, University of Leeds
Svetlana Mazhurnaya, University of Reading
Phil Smyth, University of Reading
Liz Wilding, University of Reading