The aims of the conference are to explore the varied ways in which students are engaging in the curriculum. This year's main keynote will be given by Prof. Randy Garrison, director of the Teaching and Learning Centre and a full professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary. He is also the co-author of Blended Learning in Higher Education - Framework, Principles and Guidelines, published by Jossey-Bass in October 2007.

Later on day one, conference delegates will be linking up with colleagues in Canada to hear presentations on their approaches to blended-learning curriculum design and to share ideas.

Day two will begin with a keynote presentation from Dr. Gregor Kennedy, Head of the Biomedical Multimedia Unit at University of Queensland. This will be given live from the University of Queensland, and a virtual discussion session with delegates in Australia will follow. Mr. Mark Russell, Deputy Director of the Blended Learning Unit and National Teaching Fellow will then present a keynote that will be webcast live to Queensland and followed by more discussion across continents.

The Blended Learning Unit (BLU) was established in 2005, as a five-year project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE); it is a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). Recently, the BLU has been incorporated within the University's Learning and Teaching Institute (LTI) with the aim to sustain and extend the excellent reputation and good practices established by BLU beyond the life of the five-year project.