This reflective presentation outlines the experiences of two academic developers as we embarked on our first research project augmented by the use of Microsoft Copilot.

Gen AI has become ubiquitous among both staff and students in Higher Education. As academic developers we are aware of both the concerns and positive possibilities that this new technology brings. Like many colleagues, we have both used Gen AI tools in an informal manner to support the creation of workshops, resources, instructional artefacts etc. And when we started planning this small research project, whose main focus was to determine strategies to support the meaningful embedding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles within webinars offered by our team, we discussed the appropriateness of using a Gen AI tool to support the process. This discussion led to a mindful decision to ‘lean-in’ to Copilot and use it to support our research in an intentional and documented manner.

This presentation will outline the structure we placed around our intended use of Gen AI and the reasons for selection of Copilot; it will also outline the positives and negatives of Copilot use in this specific research project and consider what takeaways we will bring to future research. Specifically, we will consider the role of Gen AI tools in similar research projects in terms of inclusive design and accessibility.

We will also discuss our post-research perspective on the ethical and psychosocial implications of Gen AI use in educational research. We all know how carefully we consider the attributes of potential research collaborators: should Gen AI be treated any differently when making these considerations?

As educators we must consider all aspects of a student’s learning journey in Higher Education to ensure that students feel informed and confident. In my role as Head of Department I recognised that some students struggled with some aspects of the transition into Higher Education, including understanding the terminology and new processes they encounter. Students gain entry to our programmes as first year students following their Leaving Certificate or equivalent, as advanced entry students from Further Education, as mature learners and also as an international student, and each of these pathways presents different needs for information. Through structured engagement with students, it became clear to me that students often experienced some challenges outside their discipline learning and were unaware of where to seek further information. This can lead to a negative impact on the student experience. I embarked on a project to improve the accessibility of communications and information to students working with students as partners on the project to improve the wider student experience. Guided by the principles of Universal Design Learning we sought to creatively use a variety of media creatively to support students. A small group of students were active participants in the co-design and co-creation of resources for students ensuring that the student voice was central to the overall design of the project. This paper will evaluate two phases of the creation of a new inclusive Department Hub, demonstrating how working in partnership with students supported the development of resources to aid the student learning experience and transition to higher education. The project is guided by the 'Steps to Partnership' framework to ensure that student engagement in the project was meaningfu and focused closely on students as co-creators. The examination of the benefits of the partnership was two-fold and this research will consider the benefits of working with students on a project for students as well as the benefits to the students involved. I will explore how the students were empowered and how the voice of the student was important to the overall outcomes of the project.

As generative AI reshapes how students produce work, questions about what counts as authentic inclusive assessment have become more urgent. If AI can draft essays, generate code, and simulate expertise, how do HEIs design assessments that genuinely prepare students for professional life? In response to this question, the eLearning Development Services Unit (EDSU), in collaboration with the MTU Director of Student Services, began examining authentic assessment practices across the Kerry campus in December 2025. A call was issued to staff on the Kerry Campus of MTU to showcase real examples of authentic assessment experienced by teaching staff . Early indications suggest that AI and digital technologies are not replacing the pedagogical foundations of authentic assessment but are instead strengthening and expanding the ways in which those foundations can be enacted across diverse higher‑education contexts.

The initiative generated a range of technology-enhanced assessment examples, including problem and scenario-based tasks as well as inquiry-based approaches grounded in real-world professional contexts. To move beyond simply collecting examples, we developed a working categorisation framework to analyse the submissions. Assessments were considered in terms of whether they were:

• Genuinely authentic and technologically aligned

• Designed with authentic intent but supported by superficial use of technology

• Technology-heavy but lacking authentic learning design

• AI-aware or AI-avoidant in their structure

This categorisation allowed us to examine how pedagogy, technology, and GenAI awareness were interacting in practice, rather than treating technology use as inherently innovative. This work is situated within a growing body of research examining the relationship between authentic assessment and digital technologies. Hu, Liu and Daniel’s (2025) systematic review of digital technologies in authentic assessment identifies how contemporary higher education is increasingly turning to AI‑enabled and data‑driven tools to support assessment practices that reflect real‑world tasks. Their findings reinforce and extend the earlier framework proposed by Villarroel et al. (2018), who argued that authentic assessment requires alignment between learning outcomes, real‑life professional demands and assessment design. Simulations, Inquiry-Based and Problem-Based Learning, oral exams and portfolios emerge as examples. While Villarroel and colleagues provided a conceptual blueprint for constructing authentic assessments that promote meaningful learning, Hu et al. demonstrate how digital technologies can operationalise this blueprint at scale. Examples of these include adaptive platforms, analytics dashboards and simulation environments. This suggests an evolution in practice in which authentic assessment is no longer only a pedagogical ideal but increasingly a technologically supported practice.

This session will present examples gathered through the campus initiative, reflect on patterns emerging from staff practice, and examine how technology, pedagogy and GenAI awareness intersect in the design of authentic assessment. It will offer a practice-informed framework for distinguishing between meaningful integration of technology and superficial innovation in assessment design.

Active learning offers many benefits for students, including developing higher order thinking skills and promoting engagement (Prince, 2004). Increasingly, students want ‘value add’ learning experiences, moving them from passive to active learners and where they have opportunities for collaboration and peer learning (Flynn, et al., 2023). However, active learning possibilities can be highly dependent on the classroom environment in which they occur. Traditionally, institutions have invested in developing fixed lecture-style teaching spaces with a high student-teacher ratio. Consequently, active learning can be difficult to achieve in such environments. Cognisant of the potential of active learning, and of strategic aims to move towards innovative pedagogies and to develop students’ skills such as problem-solving and collaboration, DCU colleagues embarked on a collaborative endeavour to develop new digitally-enabled active learning spaces. Partnering with colleagues in the IT department, estates, audiovisual suppliers, the centre for teaching and learning, and with the endorsement of senior leadership, a suite of new active learning spaces were developed in 2025. Informed by the challenges faced by lecturers in traditional teaching spaces, and through semi-structured conversations with multiple stakeholders, these new active learning spaces were developed as flexible, multipurpose environments in which a variety of innovative pedagogies could be facilitated. With no fixed lectern, lecturers are forced to become guides on the sides rather than sages on the stage. The spaces included multiple mounted displays as well as mobile interactive displays, a green screen maker space area for students, an immersive learning suite, hybrid and video conferencing facilities, and more. This presentation will share the journey of how this partnership collective embarked on this initiative, and the value of taking such a partnership approach. It will share the challenges encountered, and how they were overcome, and advice for others who want to transform their classrooms into student-centred environments to enable better outcomes.

Flynn, S. et al. (2023). ‘“Vibrant, open and accessible”: Students’ visions of higher education futures’. In Higher Education for Good: Teaching and Learning Futures. Open Book Publishers. https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0363.14

Prince, M. (2004). ‘Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research’. Journal of Engineering Education. 93(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x