Online safety supports in Ireland are largely designed with young people in mind. Existing organisations, such as the Irish Safer Internet Centre, do excellent work to provide children and parents with online safety information, yet there is a significant resource gap for adults over 65 (Bermingham, 2023). Adult digital learners, as well as staff who support them within community centers, libraries, FETs, and ETBs, are rarely centred in the design of cyber safety education, leaving educators struggling to find best practice advice tailored to the needs of their students.

This research first began by asking older adults across Ireland what they wanted to learn about staying safe online. Their responses shaped the following work, funded by Research Ireland as part of the “Our Tech” challenge. Rather than designing a solution and rolling it out to communities, participatory methods were chosen as a relational commitment to include individuals often excluded from conversations surrounding the development of educational technologies. In Phase One of this research, 58 adults aged 65+ participated in a Dot Voting activity to rank their learning priorities: password management, privacy, and avoiding scams (Sheil, 2024). In Phase Two, focus groups with 31 older adult participants from rural and urban communities across Ireland followed, where tailored guidance presentations and leaflets sparked discussion. Participants were seen to be highly aware of cyber threats, while also feeling anxious and sometimes overly cautious. We found this cohort did not want tools imposed on them, but rather support that restored their agency and control.

We began by designing an e-learning course to expand on the chosen topics, but received feedback from older adult participants who largely did not wish to engage in a self-directed e-learning course, preferring information to be relayed by someone they trusted. Interviewing 35 older adult educators showed a need for personalised, accessible guidance for delivering digital skills education (Gruben, 2025). We therefore pivoted to provide a resource for librarians, adult educators, and FET and ETB practitioners, already embedded in positions of trust within communities. A co-informed e-learning course for older adult educators was then developed using diary study feedback from 11 staff, refined, and finally launched free of charge at an online event attended by librarians across Ireland. The course has reached 195 students across Ireland so far.

Robust, inclusive cyber safety education for all members of society is a moving target as the online threat horizon changes, particularly with the advancement of generative artificial intelligence (Jabir et al., 2025). Empowering both individuals and educators to embrace digital citizenship, manage online risks, and build confidence are crucial for a holistic digital strategy, and investing in training is vital for effective digital integration (OECD, 2025). Building on this, we are now co-designing a course specifically for 12–18 year olds, motivated by a post-course survey that revealed that a high number of students (n=72, 36%) enrolled in the course, to learn cybersecurity advice for themselves, and also family and community members they help with day-to-day queries. Focus groups with young people (n=18), supported by information provided by a 5th year youth consultant, are currently shaping content, tone, and format, including gamification of content, personalised learning options, and the option of digital badges and in-person recognition of achievements, aiming for young people to be co-designers and deliverers of cybersafety information. This research offers a lens into what happens when cybersafety research starts not with technology, but with a question about who is missing. Through participatory methods including dot voting, focus group, and diary studies, a relational, community-grounded ripple effect has begun, moving from older adults, to adult educators, to youth.

This study explores how technology is used in digital education through coursework and assessment, it aims to help HE in Ireland understand where students feel confident and where more support may be needed. The integration of emerging technologies such as video production, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) into digital education has seen a surge in recent scholarly research and practice in the classroom.

As education service providers universities are teaching students and faculty in the use of emerging technologies that can be transformative, disruptive and challenging. AI applications in education are being explored across a multitude of domains, including adaptive learning systems, personalized tutoring, intelligent assessment, and student profiling. A systematic literature review highlighted that AI-enabled adaptive learning can significantly enhance student test results, demonstrating the transformative potential of AI in educational settings (Wang et al, 2024). Applying adaptive learning techniques can further accentuate the teacher or lecturers toolkit and increate the potential to be inclusive, flexible,personalised and engaging for students (Holmes et al., 2019).

Similarly, VR has been investigated for its capacity to support and enhance collaborative learning and where we have limited resources such as labs or where we want students to attain new skills and competencies VR has optimised solutions to offer. Research suggests that VR can effectively increase learner involvement and motivation, while accommodating diverse learning preferences. However, further studies are necessary to establish effective pedagogical strategies for VR integration (van de Meer et al, 2024). ​

Despite the growing body of literature, much of the existing research remains exploratory or focuses on specific case studies. Comprehensive, practice-based studies are still needed to fully understand the long-term impacts and best practices for integrating emerging technology into various educational contexts.​ Thus this research explores the use of emerging technologies such as real-time video development, AI, VR, and innovative assessment models toward a contribution to this body of evidence.

SmartAss explores the perceptions of the students, some who have a dual role as educators (lecturers, tutors, primary and post-primary teachers) in relation to the design, development and assessment in our education landscape. This research gathers data using a mixed method approach that includes a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The initial research design will adopt an iterative approach for data analysis and be guided by Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic analysis. This paper will deliver the preliminary results from phase 1.

Previous works have contributed to Government recommendations on Immersive learning with Eirmersive[1] to accelerate National support in this area and to leverage knowledge across the Education landscape to engage students and educators in teaching and learning in the 21^st century.

We are cognisant that there are assessments where students are expected to use AI tools critically and transparently, demonstrating judgment, evaluation, and awareness of limitations and assessments where students must demonstrate foundational knowledge or professional competency without AI assistance. This paper explores the nuances of this in practice. Our research aims to impact practice such as the redesign of modules, potential creation of new modules/curriculum and policy contributing to DFHERIS Evidence for policy civil servants research network and OECD DECC SDG working group and Dept of Education/IUA Education policy working group.

[1] https://www.eirmersive.com

Experiential learning is essential for practical chemistry laboratory work, yet post-primary schools are increasingly constrained by cost, infrastructure, and safety requirements. We examine whether Virtual Reality (VR) can provide chemistry laboratory learning opportunities that are difficult to execute in everyday school practices through an 11-month, three-phase participatory co-design study involving 137 stakeholders (students, teachers, school leaders, parents, subject experts, and practitioners). In Phase One, we identified the pedagogical and deployment requirements for VR integration. In Phase Two, stakeholders evaluated an initial prototype to inform iterative design refinement. In Phase Three, we assessed an advanced prototype in authentic classroom contexts. Findings indicate significant gains in chemistry knowledge and procedural skills, alongside the development of transferable competencies (e.g., autonomy, critical thinking, and confidence). We further analyse how the use of VR reconfigured the classroom ecology, particularly teacher–student and student–student dynamics, and conclude with deployment lessons to inform a real-world rollout.