CARPE was established in 2015, with support from Prometric, to enhance the practice of assessment across all levels of the educational system, from early childhood to fourth level and beyond. Work at CARPE is focused on conducting high quality research and professional development in assessment, as well as establishing global networks and contributing to assessment policy making. Recent reports comparing outcomes from tests proctored in testing centres and online have been particularly significant in guiding decision making at Prometric since the advent of COVID-19.
Since 2015, Professor Michael O’Leary, Prometric Chair in Assessment and Director of CARPE, and the team have delivered internationally-recognised research to enhance the practice of assessment in education and across the industry, making a significant difference in people’s lives. In 2020, Professor O’Leary was invited to join an independent steering committee to advise the Irish government on its Calculated Grades process, while CARPE significantly expanded and intensified its existing research programmes in the area of remote proctoring of tests via Prometric’s ProProctor platform.
Speaking about the announcement, Prof. Michael O’Leary, Director of CARPE said
“I am proud of the strong and strategic partnership we’ve created between expert teams at Prometric and DCU/CARPE over the past six years. I believe that together we are making important contributions and driving a deeper understanding of how assessment can be used for the benefit of all learners in educational and workplace settings.”
Roy Simrell, President and Chief Executive Officer at Prometric added
“In a marketplace and industry that are both changing rapidly, our partnership with CARPE is a critical way for our teams to put research and data at the core of Prometric’s solutions and influence how we best serve test takers globally, both today and in the future.”
Prof. Daire Keogh, President of Dublin City University said
“The partnership between CARPE and Prometric, the global leader in its field, is based on shared values and an appreciation of the importance of assessment in life-long-learning. I greatly welcome Prometric’s continued support for the centre, which is a vote of confidence in the work being done by researchers at CARPE and the power of university-industry collaborations.”
How the Centre is Funded
The funding by Prometric of the Chair in Assessment at DCU and partial costs associated with supporting CARPE’s mission is philanthropic. The Chair is appointed by DCU and operates independently. Prometric exerts no influence over research studies conducted at CARPE that are focused on assessment in education (early childhood to fourth level). In a separate funding arrangement, Prometric provides support for a post-doctoral researcher and PhD student at CARPE. In this case, Prometric and CARPE collaborate on research projects focused on assessment in the workplace – licensing and certification predominantly.
Additional support for research at CARPE is accessed through funding sources that include, for example, the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme administered by the Irish Research Council and the EU’s Erasmus+ programme. Microsoft Ireland is currently funding a two year post-doctoral researcher position at CARPE are part of a research study on the use of Minecraft: Education Edition for assessing creativity and collaborative problem solving in Irish primary schools.
About CARPE
Based at the DCU Institute of Education, Ireland’s first Faculty of Education, CARPE was established to enhance the practice of assessment across all levels of the educational system and in the fields of licensure and credentialing.
CARPE’s mission is to shape the future of assessment policy and practice across all levels of the educational system (from early childhood to fourth level) and across the professions (from job entry to career advancement) with specific reference to four broad domains of work: Research, Policy, Professional Practice and Networking.
About Prometric
As a global leader in test development, testing delivery, and candidate services, Prometric partners with the world’s top credentialing and licensure organisations to design and deliver leading exam programs that help individuals advance their careers and serve their communities.
Prometric’s integrated, end-to-end solutions provide exam development, management, and distribution that set the industry standard in quality, security, and service excellence. Prometric leverages its proprietary platform, advanced technologies, and vast operational experience to deliver an exceptional user experience on its world-class secure testing network. Today, Prometric paves the industry’s path forward with new solutions and innovation to ensure reliable access to secure assessments anytime, anywhere. For more information, visit prometric.com
Photographs: Kyran O’Brien