Leading Together 2025

About the Conference

Since its inception, Leading Together has been a collaboration between the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, and partner institutions across India – Savitribai Phule Pune University, Tetso College (Nagaland), Stella Maris College (Chennai), and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati.

What began as a student platform for transnational conversations on leadership and the SDGs has evolved into a global academic forum.

In 2025, Leading Together expands its focus to educators and academics, recognising that the future of higher education depends on pedagogical practices that are inclusive, identity-affirming, and culturally responsive. By bridging Indian and Australian perspectives, the symposium reimagines the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as a shared space for inquiry, equity, and transformation, while keeping students at the centre.

This event is facilitated and coordinated by the University of Melbourne, in partnership with Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India (co-convener and host).

For more details see: https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/e/leading-together

Why This Conference?

The 2025 symposium positions the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as both

• A practice of inquiry that transforms reflection into evidence and impact.

• A commitment to equity, identity, and belonging in higher education.

Together, we aim to ask:

• What is SoTL? Why does it matter? Who does it serve?

• How can it foster inclusive and transformative pedagogy across contexts?

Through this dialogue, participants will share local innovations, reflect on global challenges, and co-create knowledge that transcends borders.

Conference Streams

Innovative Teaching Practices – experiential learning, hybrid pedagogies, critical and creative thinking.

Curriculum, Assessment & Learning Design – employability, ethics, sustainability, inclusive design.

Student Voice & Partnership – co-creation, staff–student collaboration, identity-affirming learning.

Technology & the Future of Learning – AI, analytics, immersive tools, ethical innovation.

Call for Abstracts

We invite academics, educators, researchers, and PhD students to submit 200-word abstracts aligned with the conference streams.

Please send through your abstract, with your name and affiliation to - leadingtogether2025@tetsocollege.edu.in.

Abstract deadline: November 12, 2025
Feedback provided by: November 30, 2025

Selected presenters will also be invited to contribute to an edited volume that extends the conversations of the conference. Contributions may take the form of:

• Empirical or conceptual SoTL research

• Case studies of innovative practice

• Reflective essays on teaching and learning

• Co-authored work with students as partners

This volume will bring together diverse voices, approaches, and innovations to highlight how inclusive pedagogy is imagined and enacted across academic cultures and pedagogical settings in India, Australia, and beyond.

Why Participate?

Leading Together 2025 will bring into focus three urgent and interconnected questions:

Why SoTL?
Because it enables educators to critically examine practice, generate evidence, and shape the future of higher education.

Why now?
Because today’s challenges such as diverse student cohorts, sustainability, and rapid technological change, demand collaborative and reflective pedagogical responses.

Why together?
Because transnational dialogue helps us learn with and from one another, building frameworks that are locally grounded and globally relevant.

Registration

This is a free event. Places are limited, so please register now to secure your place as soon as possible!

Registration closes 5 December.