Dear colleagues,

We are delighted to invite you to the 2026 International Forum for Peer Learning and Support – a free to attend event where you can explore various peer learning and support initiatives in higher education and connect with colleagues who share a passion for this area of work.

Event Details

📍 Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

📅 Friday 22 May 2026

⏰ 09:00 – 16:30 (exact timings TBC)

📢 Thursday 21^st May - optional pre-Forum afternoon workshop and evening social event

Registration

Registration is now open and closes on 5pm on Friday, 27th February, 2026.

When you register for the event, you will also be given the option to note interest in attending our optional Thursday afternoon workshop:

Facilitated by Dr Nevan Bermingham, co-editor of the Journal of Peer Learning, this session will focus on qualitative research options and guide you from an initial idea toward a realistic project plan. Through instruction and guided hands-on tasks, we’ll aim to simplify the research process by offering a few logical methodology pathways, highlight how to achieve publication, and demystify how academic journals like the Journal of Peer Learning work. The boot-camp approach will help you avoid potential pitfalls as you take your first steps toward research publication.

Call for Contributions

If you would like to submit a proposal for the 2026 Forum for a presentation, creative workshop, lightning talk, or round-table discussion, you can do this on this Call for Contributions form.

The forum aims to offer informative sessions, with themes covering, but not limited to:

• Technology 
• Terminology (is ‘peer’ limiting?) 
• Evaluation 
• Budgets & making Pal/SI-PASS/other peer learning and support programmes work on a low budget (value for money) 
• Inclusivity in sessions
• Novel approaches to peer learning and support

We welcome proposals from staff working in peer learning but also from students involved in peer learning programmes. Call for Proposals closes 5pm on 16th February, 2026. 

This year, we are offering a webinar in January, 2026 to support any students who would like to submit a proposal to present, and any staff who are thinking about submitting a proposal for the first time. At this webinar, the Forum organisers will provide advice and guidance on how to develop a proposal idea and structure the proposal for submission. In the true ethos of peer support, part of the session will be split, with students being giving an opportunity to work with other students who have previously presented at the Forum, while staff will continue discussions separately.

The webinar will be on 26th January 2026 from 2pm (UK time), and it will be hosted on MS Teams. If you are interested in attending the webinar, you can complete this form .

Please visit our website for details and updates, and should you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch.

We look forward to welcoming you to Edinburgh in May 2026.

Best wishes,

Lisa Vettese Cruden, Catherine McConnell and Linda Wennborg

Forum Organising Group