The Spring Canvas UK User Group was hosted at ARU Peterborough — a brand‑new institution, opened in 2022, set up to boost local skills and employability through career‑focused education. The university was created to tackle a long‑standing skills shortage in the area, with Peterborough sitting in the bottom 10% nationally for degree‑level qualifications. Their aim is to widen participation, attract students from non‑traditional backgrounds, and build a curriculum tied directly to local economic needs. In short: a practical response to a higher‑education “cold spot.”
It couldn’t be more different from the University of Edinburgh — we’re very much the classic, historic university, and incredibly privileged in what we already have. And it seems like contradiction was the theme of this conference at least from my perspective.
Badges with Backbone
I was first up: Building a scalable badging model & ecosystem — which, let’s be honest, is not the most memorable title. Thanks to last week’s Practical Strategic Storytelling workshop, I renamed it “Badges with Backbone.” Much better. The audience asked lots of questions at the end. That’s a good thing… right? After what felt like a light interrogation (I was genuinely sweating), what became clear to me was this: we do have the infrastructure in place for a scalable model — check. But now we need to reconnect that infrastructure to our earners and their employers. We need to understand:
- How they perceive badges
- Whether they understand their value
- How badges evidence skills in ways that genuinely enhance employability.
For our last survey, we relied on champions to share the questionnaire with the earners, and the response rate was… modest. I’m not claiming direct causation — but it does make me try going straight to the source next time: EUSA, open days, employer events — anywhere we can actually talk to the people involved.
Different Models, Same Purpose
Boston College presented after me, and I’m glad they did. Their approach to badging is bright, colourful, gamified, aimed at under‑18s. It is programme‑based and tied directly to marketable skills. At polar opposites from ours.
But it was a good reminder that one size doesn’t fit all. Different audiences, different needs, different solutions. They even use badges for staff accessibility training — honestly, not a bad idea.
I’ll admit I felt a pang of jealousy when they mentioned their rapid rollout (March to September in the same year). Then I remembered the sheer amount of groundwork we’ve put into our framework. Ours is built to scale, built to last, and ready for wider use with the SCP.
APIs, AI, and Unexpected Practicality
Manchester University’s session on APIs and AI was surprisingly one of the most practical AI‑in‑education talks I’ve been to. Surprising because I don’t code. I make a point to avoid coding. Usually anything with “API” in the title makes me want to sneak out of the room.
But the way they framed it — using AI to speed up tasks I’d otherwise spend months trying to learn — actually made sense. It felt more relevant to my day‑to‑day work than the usual high‑level ethical debates about AI literacy.
Wrapping Up
Overall, it was a valuable conference. Good conversations with colleagues and with the vendor, and a reminder that while we work with technology, frameworks, and strategy, we’re still human beings trying to build things that help other human beings.
And after presenting, surviving a Q&A, and facilitating one of the afternoon’s discussion tables… yes, I absolutely needed that pint at the end.
Lots of good learning! Thanks for sharing Delia.