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UM academic contributed to an international symposium and book launch in the UK

Prof. Josephine Deguara, from the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Faculty of Education, participated in the inaugural International Symposium hosted by the on Thursday 9 April 2026 at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.

Chaired by Dr Gladson Chikwa, the symposium brought together a diverse community of higher education educators from across 16 UK universities, and 13 international institutions from Malta, China, USA, and Spain, fostering rich dialogue and international collaboration. As a committee member of the ITLSIG, Prof. Deguara formed part of the organising team, as whose collective efforts made this symposium possible.

A key highlight of the symposium was the double book launch of two books, which Prof. Deguara co-edited with Dr Gladson Chikwa (Manchester Metropolitan University), Dr Edwin Rajah (Otago Polytechnic, Aukland Campus, New Zealand) and Dr Yanmin Zhao (The Education University of Hong Kong, China): and . The book launch marked an important scholarly milestone, showcasing collaborative and research-informed contributions from across the ITLSIG network.

Prof. Josephine Deguara also presented a co-authored paper with Prof. Josephine Milton titled: “Reconfiguring Practicum Assessment during COVID-19: Examiners’ Perspectives on Remote Evaluation in Initial Teacher Education.” This work critically explores how assessment practices were reshaped during COVID-19, raising important questions around validity, relationality, and professional judgement in teacher education.

Prof. Deguara, together with Dr Gladson Chikwa and the organising committee, extends sincere thanks to the University of Malta for its continued support of the symposium.