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Dr Carmen Miles is Honorary Professor of Education Futures at ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ. She is a senior academic leader, researcher and strategic adviser specialising in the design and transformation of higher education, with particular expertise in digital pedagogy, online and flexible learning, and academic development.

Her work examines how universities can create inclusive, high-quality and sustainable conditions for learning as technologies, student needs and models of higher education change. Her current research explores professional judgement in the age of generative artificial intelligence, lifelong and flexible learning, institutional digital capabilities, and the strategic design, delivery and governance of online education.

Carmen has more than 20 years’ experience of teaching and leading learning and teaching in higher education. Her leadership brings together educational design, academic quality and governance, professional learning and institutional strategy to develop effective educational models for diverse student communities in the UK and internationally.

At ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ, Carmen led the institution-wide implementation of LearningZone, the university’s Brightspace virtual learning environment. Working across academic, professional services and technology teams, she led its integration into institutional teaching practice and supported wider pedagogic transformation. She also led ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ’s successful participation in the Office for Students’ Higher Education Short Course Trial, contributing to national work informing the development of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

Earlier in her career, Carmen helped establish and lead the learning, teaching and academic development function at Arden University as it developed into a major international provider of online and blended higher education. She led the pedagogic design and implementation of blended block delivery across five UK campuses and contributed to the university’s successful degree-awarding powers processes.

Carmen is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE and a Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association. She contributes to national and international networks shaping digital education, educational development and technology-informed pedagogy. She is also committed to developing others through mentoring academic leaders, educational developers and colleagues seeking professional recognition and career progression.

Carmen’s scholarly record includes peer-reviewed publications, a book chapter, sector commentary and more than 30 conference presentations, invited lectures, panels and professional contributions delivered nationally and internationally.

Selected publications and writing

• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Extending the TPACK framework: professional judgment literacies for teaching with generative AI’, in Blankenship, R. and Cherner, T. (eds.) Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2026. Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, pp. 13–33.
• Miles, C. (2026a) ‘Why universities struggle to act on early warning data’, Wonkhe, 20 January.
• Miles, C. (2026b) ‘Distance learning has never mattered more—but you wouldn’t know it’, Wonkhe, 2 July.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Developing a TPACK-based toolkit to support the implementation of situated teacher competences associated with digital education’, in Cohen, R.J. (ed.) Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2025. Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.
• Miles, C. (2022) ‘The use of TPACK to support communities of practice to develop their online teaching practices and implementation of student-centred learning pedagogies’, in Langran, E. (ed.) Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2022. Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Available at: (Accessed: 4 September 2026).
• Scott, H. and Miles, C. (2022) ‘“Having your cake and eating it”: Arden University’s responses to the COVID-19 lockdowns’, in Smith, M. and Traxler, J. (eds.) Digital Learning in Higher Education: COVID-19 and Beyond. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 131–144. Available at: .
• Miles, C. (2021) Facilitating Pedagogical Change in Online Learning in Higher Education through Professional Development. Doctor of Education thesis. University of Wolverhampton.

• Higher education futures
• Generative artificial intelligence, pedagogy and professional judgement
• Online, distance, blended and flexible learning
• Curriculum and educational design
• Academic development and professional learning
• Digital capabilities and technology-informed teaching
• Academic quality, governance and institutional transformation
• Student transition, equity, belonging and success
• Communities of practice and TPACK
• Evaluation of educational innovation and change

• Higher education futures
• Digital pedagogy and technology-enhanced learning
• Online, distance, blended and flexible learning
• Curriculum and learning design
• Generative artificial intelligence in higher education
• Academic development and professional learning
• Leadership, educational change and institutional transformation
• Academic quality and governance
• Research methods

• Doctorate in Education (EdD), University of Wolverhampton
• Master of Research (MRes), University of Wolverhampton
• Master of Science (MSc) in Sustainable Tourism Management, Sheffield Hallam University
• Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Enhanced Learning, University of Leicester
• Postgraduate Certificate in Education: Adult Learning, Oxford Brookes University

• Principal Fellow of Advance HE (PFHEA), 2023
• Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SFSEDA), 2025
• Outstanding Paper Award, Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, 2026, for 'Extending the TPACK Framework: Professional Judgment Literacies for Teaching with Generative AI'
• Recognition of Outstanding Service, Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, 2021
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), 2018

Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. Technology Pedagogy and Content (TPACK) Special Interest Group, Officer.

• Advance HE (2018-)
• Staff and Educational Development Association (2019-)
• Association for Learning Technology (2019-)
• Society for Information Technology and teacher Education (2021-)
• Technology Pedagogy & Education Association (2022-)

LearningZone implementation, ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ, 2022-2025

Strategic lead and project director for the institution-wide implementation of LearningZone, ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ's Brightspace virtual learning environment. Carmen led the educational vision and cross-university approach, bringing together academic, professional services and technology teams to support adoption, academic development and pedagogic innovation.

Office for Students Higher Education Short Course Trial, 2021-2023

Instigator and institutional lead for ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ's successful bid to participate in the Office for Students' Higher Education Short Course Trial. The project developed and evaluated flexible short courses at Levels 4-6 to support lifelong learning and inform the implementation of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

Development of blended block delivery, Arden University, 2014-2021

Led the pedagogic development and implementation of blended block delivery across five UK campuses, combining online and face-to-face learning for diverse adult and international student cohorts.

Conference presentations, invited lectures, panels and professional webinars  

2026

• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Where does agency live? Pedagogic conversations on professional judgement in the age of AI’, boardroom dialogue presented at OEB Global, Berlin, Germany, December.
• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Beyond flexible delivery: an educational design framework for lifelong learning ecosystems’, interactive session presented at the Association for Learning Technology Annual Conference, Cardiff, UK, October.
• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Beyond flexible delivery: designing lifelong learning ecosystems’, conference presentation delivered at the Association for Learning Technology Annual Conference, Cardiff, UK, October.
• Miles, C. and McCaleb, L. (2026) ‘What does TPACK look like in the age of AI?’, catalyst conversation presented at SITE Interactive 2026, online, October.
• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Teaching under pressure: pedagogic judgement in block-based learning’, conference presentation delivered at the International Block and Intensive Learning and Teaching Association Conference, online, 29–30 September.
• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Extending the TPACK framework: professional judgment literacies for teaching with generative AI’, conference paper presented at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, Philadelphia, PA, USA, March.
• Miles, C. (2026) ‘Appreciative inquiry as a catalyst for TPACK development: a strengths-based approach to professional development in higher education’, conference paper presented at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, Philadelphia, PA, USA, March.

2025

• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Leveraging Brightspace to foster academic development and immersive pedagogy’, conference presentation delivered at the D2L Connection Annual EMEA and APAC Community Network Event, London, UK, November.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Formal teacher education in the digital university: beyond compliance, towards partnership and criticality’, conference presentation delivered at SITE Interactive 2025, online, September.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Enhancing student engagement through active teaching and learning’, conference presentation delivered at the Active Learning and Teaching Conference, ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ, Leicester, UK, September.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Future pedagogies at ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ: reimagining learning across spaces’, conference presentation delivered at the Active Learning and Teaching Conference, ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ, Leicester, UK, September.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Appreciative inquiry as a catalyst for TPACK development: a strengths-based approach to professional development in higher education’, online conference presentation delivered at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education Conference, Florida, USA, September.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Future-facing blended learning at ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ: designing dynamic educational models’, conference paper presented at the D2L Fusion Annual Worldwide Community Network Event, Savannah, GA, USA, July.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Beyond implementation: unlocking teaching excellence through VLE integration’, presentation delivered at the D2L Fusion Annual Worldwide Community Network Event, Savannah, GA, USA, July.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Leaving uncertainty behind: from Blackboard to D2L Brightspace’, invited presentation delivered as part of the D2L EMEA Webinar Series, online, June.
• Miles, C. (2025) ‘Developing a TPACK-based toolkit to support the implementation of situated teacher competences associated with digital education’, conference paper presented at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, Orlando, FL, USA, April.

2024

• Miles, C. (2024) ‘Enhancing education: how AI complements human-centric education’, invited presentation delivered as part of the D2L EMEA Webinar Series, online, November.
• Miles, C. (2024) ‘Exploring multidisciplinary uses of e-portfolios to support lifelong learning’, conference presentation delivered at the Annual PebblePad Conference, Edinburgh, UK, June.
• Miles, C. (2024) ‘How Brightspace is supporting innovative, immersive pedagogy and block teaching’, conference presentation delivered at Times Higher Education Digital Universities UK, Exeter, UK, April.
• Miles, C. (2024) ‘Designing better student experiences and personalised learning with dynamic data’, conference presentation delivered at Jisc Digifest, Birmingham, UK, March.
• Miles, C. (2024) Contributor and reviewer, Blended Learning Review, Higher Education Commission, House of Lords, London, UK, February.

2023

• Miles, C. (2023) ‘How the implementation of Brightspace supported institutional adoption of continuing professional development and digital transformation’, invited presentation delivered at D2L Connection, London, UK, November.
• Miles, C. (2023) ‘The future of learning: reimagined’, invited webinar delivered as part of the D2L EMEA Webinar Series, online, June.
• Miles, C. (2023) ‘Me, myself and AI: delivering personalised learning at scale’, panel contribution at Times Higher Education Digital Universities UK, Leeds, UK, April.
• Miles, C. (2023) ‘Managing quality for short courses’, invited workshop delivered for Inside Government and the Quality Assurance Agency, online, March.

• Miles, C. (2023) ‘Driving digital learning strategy through change management’, invited presentation delivered at Ahead by Bett, Bett UK, London, UK, January.Miles, C. (2022) ‘Digital learning in higher education: COVID-19 and beyond’, invited book-launch contribution hosted by the Association for Learning Technology, online, June.
• Miles, C. (2022) ‘The use of TPACK to support communities of practice to develop their online teaching practices and implementation of student-centred learning pedagogies’, conference paper presented at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, Las Vegas, NV, USA, April.
• Miles, C. (2022) ‘Managing quality for short courses’, invited workshop delivered for Inside Government and the Quality Assurance Agency, online, March.

2021

• Miles, C. (2021) ‘“Having your cake and eating it”: a critical reflection on supporting students to continue with their studies during September–November 2020’, conference presentation delivered at the Advance HE Online Symposium, online, June.

2020

• Miles, C. (2020) ‘“Induction is a process”: outcomes from a learning summit where academics, professional services colleagues and students co-created the induction process to support first-year transition’, conference presentation delivered at the Advance HE Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, online, June.

2019

• Miles, C. (2019) ‘Designing blended learning: what have we learnt? Applying our learning to help support our educators and students’, conference presentation delivered at the Advance HE Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, UK, July.

• Reviewer, author and quality assurance of online materials for higher education providers and institutions including: Anglia Ruskin University, Arden University, Birmingham City University, Bradford University, East London University, Sheffield Hallam University, Pearson Publishing (2007-2021)
• JISC Digital Champion supporting educator and learning technologist use of learning technologies and digital capabilities frameworks, via MOOC support (2016-2019)

Professional Esteem indicators:

• External Examiner, Centre Standards Verifier, Pearson. (2008-2016)
• Chief examiner and moderator for Association of Business Executives (ABE) (2015-2019)
• Moderator for Future Blended Learning Essentials MOOC (2016)
• Completed Arden University Leadership scheme (2017-2018)

Currently open to supervise PG students face to face or online:
Technology Enhanced Learning, Digital Education, Flexible Learning. and Transformation for 21st Century Learning.

2021: OfS Short Course Challenge. Funding awarded to develop four short courses level 4-6 to pilot shorter, flexible provision in support of the development of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement.

0000-0003-2000-2591

• Association for Learning Technology (ALT) - Institutional Lead; led ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ's institutional Certified Membership scheme; reviewer for Research in Learning Technology.
• Advance HE - Principal Fellow; contributor to ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃ's institutional PGCert and Fellowship accreditation; mentor and reviewer supporting colleagues up to Principal Fellowship.
• D2L - Member of the international Instructional Design Advisory Board.
• European Journal of Education - Peer reviewer.
• Jisc - Member of the Senior Leaders in Digital Transformation Network and Change Agents' Network.
• Sheffield Hallam University - Chief External Adviser for Online and Distance Learning Provision; external panel member for validation of online programmes.
• Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) - Institutional Lead; Senior Fellow of SEDA; mentor supporting professional recognition.
• Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) - Co-Chair of the TPACK Special Interest Group; journal and conference reviewer; recipient of recognition for Outstanding Service.
• UCISA - Co-lead of the national Digital Education and Digital Capabilities Survey; member of the Digital Capabilities Group and Digital Education Group.