The Glasgow–Peking Comparative Higher Education Symposium took place on 22–23 July at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow, led by Dr Anna Wilson, Dr. Leping Mou, and Dr Wenqin Shen. The event was hosted by CRADALL and the School of Education, University of Glasgow, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Education, Peking University, and with additional support from the Glasgow Comparative and International Education Research (GLACIER) Network.

The symposium brought together over forty participants based in eight different educational jurisdictions across four continents, and whose collective experience spanned ever more contexts, to explore the symposium theme: Co-Imagining Shared Futures of Higher Education in Diverse Contexts, Histories, Cultures, and Traditions

Over two days, participants engaged in a rich and dynamic programme of presentations, panels and group discussions.

Participants were welcomed by Anna Wilson (CRADALL Director) Professor Stephen McKinney, (University of Glasgow School of Education),  Dr. Wei Ha (Associate Dean, Graduate School of Education, Peking University) and Dr. Leping Mou (CRADALL Deputy Director).

The academic work of the symposium began with a keynote speech by Prof Jen Ross (University of Edinburgh) who set the tone with a futures-focused presentation, Reimagining Digital Futures of Learning. Jen’s talk also set the stage for the symposium’s Theme One: Higher Education in a Digitised World, which was further explored in two additional oral presentations and our first group discussion sessions.

Theme 2: Spaces, Policies, and Resources in Higher Education followed, with a panel presentation, contribution talks and another group discussion. The same pattern allowed participants to explore our Theme 3: Student Experience, Agency, and Outcomes. The first day ended with refreshments during a poster session in the evening.

Day 2 started with our Theme 4: Co-Imagining Higher Education Futures from Diverse Contexts and Traditions and Decolonisation and continued with Theme 5: Internationalisation, (De)globalisation and Emerging Challenges.

The symposium concluded with a whole group discussion, reflecting on the key takeaways and exploring future directions for higher education research. Time was also dedicated to discussing potential publication opportunities, including position papers and the possibility of a journal Special Issue. The event ended on a high note, with participants leaving inspired, eager to continue their research conversations, and committed to staying connected for future symposia and collaborative initiatives in Glasgow. We look forward to publishing some of these in the next few months.

CRADALL would like to take the opportunity to thank symposium participants for their energetic and enthusiastic contributions and our Graduate Intern, Laura Ebeler, our cohort of PhD students and the School of Education’s professional support team for their equally energetic and enthusiastic support.