TELT at the 2026 Festival of Education

Introduction 

On 9 June 2026, members of the Technology Enhanced Learning Team (TELT) took part in Day 2 of the 2026 Festival of Education, hosted by Queen Mary Academy at the Mile End Campus. The event brought together educators, learning designers, and professional services staff for a day of keynotes, scholarship sessions, and collaborative discussion, and TELT was delighted to contribute in two distinct ways: through a team stall in the event space, and a poster presentation in the poster gallery. 

At the Stall: Conversations, Connections, and Student Voices 

TELT hosted a stall at the Festival, offering a valuable opportunity to connect with colleagues across the university and share updates on key systems and services. Conversations on the day focused on how TELT supports teaching and learning through technology, including the range of support available to staff. 

Simon Durrant and John Seamons, spoke with colleagues about upcoming changes, including EchoVideo becoming the main platform and the end of the QMplus Media (Kaltura) service. Staff were able to ask questions and directed to supporting resources, including guidance materials, awareness sessions, and frequently asked questions.  

A highlight of the stall was the involvement of TELT Student Ambassadors, Hayat Alvi and Archisha Manchanda, who represented the student perspective throughout the day. Working alongside Annette Muhammad, Simon Durrant, and John Seamons, they helped showcase how students engage with TELT-supported tools in practice. Their contributions brought an authentic student voice to discussions that can often feel more staff-focused, grounding conversations in real learning experiences. 

It was also a pleasure to welcome Gill Ritchie and Catherine McLean to the stall. Their visit was a reminder of the value of events like this in creating space for informal conversations and connections that are often harder to make in day-to-day work. 

In the Poster Gallery: E-Portfolios Beyond Submission 

Wenqing Chen and Rume Begum presented a poster in the Festival's poster gallery, co-authored with Dr Faith Nightingale from the School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS). The poster, titled Beyond Submission: Designing E-Portfolios as Living Learning Records, explored how students at QMUL are using QMplus Hub (Mahara) for meaningful learning. The poster addressed that the Mahara not simply as a submission tool, but as a space for reflection, collaboration, and building cumulative knowledge over time. 

Drawing on platform usage data and a practitioner case study from SEMS, the poster asked whether student behaviour on Mahara reflects genuine learning engagement or primarily assessment-driven activity. The findings suggested that sustained journal and group-based activity across the academic year points toward students using Mahara as a workspace for ongoing learning, which is a pattern shaped significantly by intentional pedagogical design. 

The collaboration between TELT and an academic colleague from SEMS reflects the kind of cross-team partnership that produces the most meaningful insight into how technology supports learning in practice. 

Reflections 

The Festival of Education is always a valuable moment to step back, share what we have been working on, and hear what colleagues across the university are exploring. This year felt particularly energising, the atmosphere was positive and engaged, and the conversations at the stall and in the poster gallery reinforced how much appetite there is across QMUL for thoughtful, evidence-informed approaches to learning and teaching. 

We look forward to building on the connections made and to many more collaborations with Queen Mary Academy in the future. 

Looking for further TELT Support? 

Eran’s approach demonstrates how thoughtful integration of QMplus tools can make employability feel meaningful, motivating, and directly connected to academic learning. His work offers a compelling model for colleagues across QMUL who want to help students develop confidence, reflection, and real‑world skills throughout their studies. 

Mahara Support 

If the poster has sparked your interest in e-portfolios, our team supports staff across QMUL in getting the most out of QMplus Hub (Mahara) and many other technologies. Here we’d like to share useful resources you may find helpful. 

Please note that QMplus Hub will rebrand to Mahara after the QMplus upgrade during the Summer 2026. For more information about the QMplus upgrade, please refer to QMplus Hub Upgrade 2026. You can find the Mahara guidance resources on the QMplus. 

Echo360 Support 

• Learn more about the end of service of Kaltura (QMplus Media) project in the FAQ section of the TELT website. 

• Join upcoming TELT CPD training sessions   

•  EchoVideo (Q‑Review): Awareness Session (60 minutes) designed for the retirement of Kaltura (QMplus Media) 

• An Introduction to EchoVideo (Q-Review) (Longer and more in-depth than awareness session) 

• Course: TEL020 - Teaching Spaces / Classroom Technologies (In person) which includes EchoVideo(Q-Review) in teaching space 

General TELT Support

For general TELT support or if you want to get support for other technologies, you can:  

• Raise a ticket request via Service Desk   

• Speak to the TELT team during AskTELT in 20 drop-in sessions   

• Book a BALT (Book a Learning Technologist) consultation.