We have had to take the difficult decision to cancel the RIDL:HE conference in September this year, due to the ongoing economic challenges across the higher education sector, particularly the availability of funding for conference attendance and travel for presenters and delegates. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but even designed as not-for-profit, we are simply not in a position to be able to make the conference financially viable this year.

While we are disappointed not to be gathering, we hope to sustain the RIDL community through the journal and look to returning to the conference format when the sector is in a stronger position. We plan to publish accepted papers in the RIDL journal in September.

Research in Digital Learning in Higher Education is a new conference, providing the Higher Education sector with a space to share and critically discuss evidenced-based research and practice in digital learning.

Built on playful principles, the conference will balance academic rigour with creativity to create an engaging and insightful experience for attendees. Full and short papers will be published in our attached open access journal (CC BY), and sessions will provide a space for discussion, interactivity, experiences, development or creation of new approaches.

The conference will take place physically at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and there will also be free online version so that anyone can access some of the conference regardless of their location, status, or financial capacity.

The proceedings for the RIDL:HE 2025 Conference are available via the Research in Higher Education Journal. 

2025: Research in Digital Learning in Higher Education | Research in Digital Learning in Higher Education