IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

In a rapidly changing sector, a renewed interest in efficient learning experiences that move beyond the predictable that invite students into environments where they genuinely want to learn, is high on the agenda in UK Russell Group universities. The potential of pop-up, event-driven approaches to act as productive disruptors within contemporary higher education – stimulating engagement, co-creativity, and moments of transformation – is one such response. The focus here is on provocative pedagogies situated within the dynamic energy of active learning: “big events,” immersive occasion-based teaching, hackathons, showcases, student-led micro-conferences, and other deliberately short-lived formats designed to shift students out of familiar patterns. These pedagogic interventions can break default modes of learning, encouraging collaboration, lateral thinking, adaptability, and a sense of shared purpose. They offer playful yet purposeful alternatives that complement existing structures while enriching the overall student experience and nurturing future-focused, changemaker graduates. Approaches can be flexibly embedded across disciplines and adapted for diverse learners, supporting inclusive practice without relying on standardisation. The provocation at the heart of pop-up pedagogies is simple: what might happen when the curriculum incorporates moments that feel unexpected, energising, and intrinsically motivating? Thoughtfully designed pop-up experiences can help reimagine teaching as a series of vibrant, high-impact encounters rather than a sequence of predictable stages. They invite educators to think beyond individual modules and consider how learning might be enlivened through intentional disruption. If a module is a box, then pop-up pedagogies encourage one to think – creatively and confidently – outside the box!