The Centre for Assessment Research, Policy and Practice in Education (CARPE) is a Level 2 Research Centre within Dublin City University’s Institute of Education. Directed by Prof. Ernesto Panadero and Deputy Director Dr. Darina Scully, CARPE leads research, policy engagement and innovation in assessment across the Irish and international education systems.
CARPE’s work spans a wide range of assessment-related fields, including classroom assessment, large-scale assessment, self-regulated learning, feedback, digital and multimodal data, psychometrics, and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in educational assessment. The centre brings together researchers, doctoral candidates, practitioners and international collaborators to advance rigorous evidence, inform policy, and strengthen assessment literacy.
CARPE engages actively with schools, higher education institutions, national agencies, and industry partners, ensuring that research contributes to educational improvement and public debate. The centre also hosts events, seminars and professional development activities aimed at supporting assessment capacity across all educational levels.
Established in 2015 by Prof. Michael O'Leary with the support of Prometric, and led by Dr Zita Lysaght (2022-2023) as interim director, their contributions laid the foundation for its current development.
Leadership
Prof. Ernesto Panadero is the Director of the Centre for Assessment Research, Policy and Practice in Education (CARPE) at the DCU Institute of Education, a role he has held since July 2023. Since joining the centre, he has led its strategic development and research programme, strengthening CARPE’s contribution to assessment scholarship, policy engagement and innovation across the Irish and international education systems.
His research focuses on educational assessment, feedback processes, self-regulated learning, and the use of digital and multimodal data to understand and enhance learning. Under his leadership, CARPE has expanded its research collaborations, supported doctoral training, and contributed to national discussions on assessment reform, digital assessment and the responsible integration of Artificial Intelligence in education.
Dr. Darina Scully (Assistant Professor in Psychology, School of Human Development) is the Deputy Director of CARPE. She holds a B.A. (Mod.) and a Ph.D. in psychology from Trinity College, Dublin, with expertise in quantitative research methods, assessment, measurement & psychometrics, programme evaluation and child & adolescent development.
Upon completion of her doctoral studies in 2014, Darina joined the Educational Research Centre (ERC), where she was involved in the implementation of international large-scale assessments (e.g., TIMSS) and the evaluation of the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) programme. In 2016, she took up the inaugural Prometric postdoctoral fellowship in CARPE, specializing in assessment and test development in both the educational and professional testing spheres. She moved into an Assistant Professor role in 2020, but has continued her strong associations with CARPE, and was appointed Deputy Director of the centre in 2023. Darina's research focuses on assessment practices, policies and innovations at all levels of the education system and more recently, on exploring the potential of generative AI to support assessment and feedback.
