Centre for Assessment Resarch, Policy and Practice in Education (CARPE) header
Centre for Assessment Research, Policy and Practice in Education (CARPE)

About

 

The Centre for Assessment Research, Policy and Practice in Education (CARPE) is DCU’s dedicated hub for research, innovation and capacity-building in educational assessment. Situated within the Institute of Education, CARPE advances scholarship and practice that improve how learning is assessed, understood and supported across education systems. 

Our mission is to generate rigorous research, inform policy debates, and build professional capacity so that assessment contributes to learning, equity and educational improvement. CARPE operates at local, national and international levels, working across schools, higher education and professional contexts. 

 

Our work spans four broad domains: 

  • Research – CARPE leads and participates in competitive projects examining student assessment, feedback and self-regulated learning, large-scale assessment datasets, multimodal process data, and the implications of AI for assessment design and use. 

  • Policy – We contribute evidence-based analysis to national agencies, advisory groups and policy consultations, supporting improvement in assessment systems. 

  • Professional practice – CARPE supports professional development for educators and assessment specialists through engagement with ministries, agencies and international partners. 

  • Partnerships – The centre hosts collaborations with leading researchers, industry partners and global organisations committed to enhancing assessment. 

 

CARPE comprises academic researchers, doctoral students, research fellows, and collaborators internationally.  

The centre is governed through the Institute of Education’s research centre structures and holds Level 2 status within DCU’s Research Centre Framework. 

Established in 2015 with support from Prometric, CARPE was initially led by Prof. Michael O’Leary, followed by interim leadership from Dr Zita Lysaght. Since 2023, the centre has entered a new phase focused on external funding diversification, international research programmes and impact-driven partnerships under the direction of Prof. Ernesto Panadero.