Elizabeth Goode, Southern Cross University, Australia
Alasdair Blair, De Montfort University, UK
The IBILTA conference hosted by Victoria University in Melbourne in 2024 felt like a defining moment for those of us working in block, immersive and intensive teaching. Building on the inaugural online IBILTA conference in 2023, it was the first in-person gathering of the international block community. Colleagues came together from different disciplines, institutions and national contexts, and left with a shared sense that this was a growing field with real momentum (Goode & Blair, 2024).
That momentum has only strengthened since. IBILTA’s 2025 conference, hosted by the University of Suffolk in the UK, brought the community together again around the theme Transforming Education, with panels, workshops, lectures, and networking focused on block and intensive pedagogies, student success, and the role of civic universities as agents of change. In its conference wrap-up, IBILTA described the event as an extraordinary three days of collaboration and highlighted the breadth of local and international participation.
This matters because one of the most powerful aspects of a conference is the opportunity to build connections across contexts. Meeting other educators who are actively designing, teaching, evaluating and refining block models makes clear that this work is not just about changing the timetable. It is about rethinking pedagogy, student support, curriculum design, institutional processes, and the role of universities in increasingly complex environments.
Working in block requires educators to embrace innovation and excellence in university teaching and learning. This can be powerfully strengthened by opportunities to share lived experiences, test ideas, learn from challenges, and recognise that others are working through similar questions.At the same time, we know that in-person events are not equally accessible to everyone. They offer energy, trust and spontaneity that is hard to replicate online, but also involve real costs (e.g. finances and time). Those barriers can limit who gets to participate in the conversation, even when there is strong interest and innovative practice to share.
This is why the upcoming 2026 IBILTA online conference feels particularly timely. Hosted online by the University of Montana Western, the conference is explicitly framed around Sharing Practice, Sharing Stories, and Looking Forward. It is a valuable opportunity for practitioners, leaders, researchers, and partners in block and immersive learning internationally to reflect, share and help shape what comes next.
There is a lot that could make the 2026 conference especially valuable. First, the online format may allow broader participation from colleagues who have not been able to attend previous in-person events. Second, the conference themes suggest a strong balance between practical insight and future-focussed conversation, spanning innovation and research, professional development, curriculum, assessment and feedback, and the student experience. Third, the planned formats, including workshops, lightning talks, posters, and presentations, create opportunities not only to present work but also to exchange practice in active and interactive ways (just as we seek to do for students).
Together, IBILTA conferences through the years point to the need to think differently about the student experience. Higher education faces significant challenges across the globe. As institutions continue to adapt to the needs of contemporary learners, the IBILTA community is well placed to take a leading role in showcasing educational initiatives that create supportive, focused and flexible educational environments. If the 2024 conference set the foundations for an international community of learners, and 2025 reinforced the strength and contribution of the field, then 2026 offers a chance to widen the circle further and keep building a community that is collaborative, research-informed, and genuinely inclusive. We hope to see you there.
Goode, E., & Blair, A. (2024). Back to Block: Re-imagining student learning in a hyper-connected world through an international academic conference. Journal of Block and Intensive Learning and Teaching, 2(3), 23–34. https://doi.org/10.15209/jbilt.1353
About the authors:
Elizabeth Goode is a Senior Teaching Scholar at Southern Cross University, Australia. Her work focuses on the pedagogy and impact of immersive block learning, enabling education, and building capacity in the scholarship of learning and teaching.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-liz-goode/
Alasdair Blair is Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Education at De Montfort University, UK. His work focuses on leading curriculum innovation, academic change, and block delivery in higher education. His latest publication is the European Union Since 1945 (3rd edn, 2026).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alasdair-blair-3574041a0/