Ako Victoria Symposium

Ako Victoria Symposium is a learning and teaching event, held over three half days. It's hosted annually by the University’s Centre for Academic Development.

Ako Victoria Symposium brings Victoria University of Wellington professional and academic staff together to talk about learning and teaching, and celebrate successes in the field. They also give staff the opportunity to:

• meet with other staff committed to improving learning and teaching, from across the University
• share the outcomes of new learning and teaching research
• share innovations in digital learning and teaching
• highlight good practice in learning and teaching.

Ako Victoria Symposium

Ako Victoria Symposium celebrates learning and teaching at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington in an event where exciting and interesting presentations stimulate and inspire us to greater heights.

Our 2026 Ako Victoria Symposium will be held over three half-days, from 24–26 June, with an expanded range of themes. These days will be a mix of short, ten-minute presentations and opportunities for discussion.

Leaders, managers, academic and professional staff are invited to come together to share success stories about initiatives with meaningful impacts on learning and teaching. This is an opportunity to showcase innovative, effective, or developing practices that create inclusive, engaging, and supportive learning environments.

Registrations for both participants and presenters will open closer to the event and will be advertised in Oko. Visit here regularly for updates.

Navigating the Changing Seas of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Looking to the Stars

Higher education is experiencing a period of profound and ongoing change. Evolving student expectations, increasing diversity, the rise of AI, and pressures on time and resources are reshaping how we teach, design, and support learning. For many, this can feel like navigating uncertain and constantly changing seas.

This year’s Ako Victoria Symposium invites us to reflect on how we navigate these conditions—individually and collectively—while remaining grounded in what matters most in learning and teaching.

The metaphor of “looking to the stars” draws on traditions of wayfinding, where navigation is guided not only by immediate conditions, but by enduring points of reference. In our context, these “stars” might include our educational values, our commitments to students and communities, evidence-informed practice, and the diverse knowledge systems that shape learning in Aotearoa and beyond.

For teaching staff, this may involve rethinking curriculum, assessment, and student engagement in ways that respond to change while maintaining coherence and purpose. For learning and teaching support staff, it highlights the role of design, partnership, and guidance in helping others navigate complexity and make informed decisions.

Together, we will explore subthemes such as:

Akoranga, inclusivity and accessibility

• What are we learning from students themselves about belonging, participation, and success in higher education?
• What does it mean to design learning that is genuinely inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible from the outset?

Reimagining teaching, learning, and support

• What stories of experimentation, resistance, adaptation, or hope can help us imagine the future(s) of higher education?
• How does our teaching, learning support and curriculum design contribute to the sustainability, relevance and robustness of our programmes?

The rise of AI: pedagogical implications

• How are we negotiating and implementing ethical, equitable, and sustainable uses of AI in learning and teaching?
• What pedagogical practices are worth holding on to in an AI-enabled environment, and what might we need to let go of?

Thriving under constant change

• How are we managing and sustaining change in ourselves, our students, and our institution ensuring that we remain true to our values?
• In this seascape of change, what practices or technologies might we need to embrace or let go of to sustain ourselves and our colleagues?

Ako Victoria Symposium offers a space for our community to share practices, discuss challenges, and imagine new possibilities for teaching and learning, while recognising that navigation is not a solitary act, but a collective endeavour.