TEU Update 15 January 2026
Interactive Oral Assessment Introductory Workshop
Date: Wednesday, January 21st 2026
Time: 14:00 to 15:30
Location: DG10, Ground Floor, the Bea Orpen Building, Glasnevin campus
Have you heard about Interactive Oral Assessment and wondered if it could be applied in your module? How does it differ from other forms of oral assessment? What are the steps involved in designing an Interactive Oral? The aim of this upcoming in person workshop is to provide an overview of Interactive Oral Assessment, highlight its value as an authentic assessment format and outline its design and application.
Please direct any queries relating to the workshop to Lily Girme (lily.girme@dcu.ie) and Martina Crehan (martina.crehan@dcu.ie), Teaching Enhancement Unit.
Register your interest here.
Loop Reflect Awards – Student Entries Now Open
Entries are now open for the Loop Reflect Awards, taking place on Tuesday, March 10 at 1:00pm. The awards celebrate outstanding student work and highlight how ePortfolios can showcase academic achievement, personal development, and professional readiness.
Students may submit individual or group portfolios developed during 2024/2025 Semester 2 or 2025/2026 Semester 1, or create a portfolio specifically for the awards. The submission deadline is 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 25. The entry form is available here. Staff are kindly asked to encourage student participation.
Loop Reflect Drop-in Clinic
The first Loop Reflect Drop-in Clinic of the semester will take place on January 21st at 2pm. The Zoom link to join the session is available on the Reflect Help page. Please communicate this information with your students should they be using Loop reflect in their assessment this semester.
Loop Reflect Demo for Students
If you plan to use Loop Reflect in your assessment this semester, the TEU would be happy to provide a demo for your students. Please email teaching.enhancement@dcu.ie to arrange this.
The Educator’s Compass: Early-Career Educators Workshop Series
Are you new to teaching and learning at DCU? Join early-career colleagues to share challenges and learn more about best practice in teaching, learning and assessment in this series of online workshops.
Workshop 1, Lesson Planning & Reflective Practice, takes place Wednesday January 28, 2-4pm. Attendance at all five workshops is encouraged, but not mandatory.
Click here to register your place and find out more! Queries to maeve.odwyer@dcu.ie.
SATLE Impact Awards - Congratulations to our DCU winner!
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) this week announced the recipients of the 2025 SATLE Impact Awards, a national recognition award celebrating outstanding achievement and demonstrable impact arising from projects supported through Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) funding. We are delighted to share that Dr Yalemisew Abgaz, Faculty of Engineering & Computing, is one of the recipients of this award for his work on “FACCtS – Enhancing the Data Literacy and Analytics Learning Experiences of 1st and 2nd year university students”.
Congratulations to Yalemisew for this recognition of his work which you can learn more about it in his case study on our SATLE projects showcase page.
Register for the DCU Spring 2026 Universal Design Badge Course
This semester, we will be facilitating a UDL Badge course locally for DCU staff. Along with offering the "Universal Design in Teaching and Learning" badge, this instance of the programme will also offer a second track for professional staff in "Universal Design Beyond the Classroom", focusing on opportunities to apply universal design principles in non-academic roles. Participants who complete the course will be awarded a digital badge recognised by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. The course will run from mid-April to early June.
Register your interest for the course via this form. For more info on the content of the UDL badge course, see this page, or you can reach out to steve.welsh@dcu.ie with any specific questions.
National Academic Integrity Network (NAIN) / Rethinking Assessment webinar
Ensuring valid, reliable and inclusive assessment in the GenAI era
Friday 16 January from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm.
Professor Michael Draper, Legal Education in the School of Law, Institutional lead for Academic Integrity, Swansea University and co-Chair of the Welsh Integrity and Assessment Network and Professor Phil Newton, Medical Science Education, Swansea University Medical School will present on the use of summative online unsupervised remote examinations in UK higher education: ethical and quality assurance implications. Register for the webinar here.
Where to Find Help and Support
- Submit a request at DCU Help for Loop queries
- More complex query or prefer to chat? Join a Loop drop in clinic
- Find comprehensive resources on our Loop Staff Support Page - enrolment key is 'staff'
- For advice on teaching practice, including on the use of technology, email teaching.enhancement@dcu.ie
- Request a workshop or extended consultation
Stay in the loop Professional and technical staff - Join Group to stay informed on TEU activities, including Loop communications and professional development opportunities.
