Ralph W. Tyler Award

Authenticity and Consistency in the Assessment of Work-integrated Learning: Getting the balance right

The International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning

Dr. Geraldine O’Neill, University College Dublin

Geraldine O’Neill is a Professor and educational developer in the UCD Teaching & Learning unit at University College Dublin, Ireland. Over the last 35 years working in the higher education sector, she has supported the enhancement of innovative changes to international, national, and institutional curriculum practices and policies. She has published extensively in areas such as curriculum design, authentic assessment, assessment of work-integrated learning (WIL), and assessment for inclusion. From 2015 to 2017, she worked at the national level in Ireland’s National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, focusing on developing a national understanding of assessment with particular emphasis on empowering students in the assessment process. In 2020, she received one of Ireland’s inaugural National Forum Teaching and Learning Research Fellowships to continue her research into the assessment of work-integrated learning. This national-level study, with input from international experts, used a participatory research methodology that gave key stakeholders a voice in enacting disciplinary changes to balance the authenticity and consistency of WIL assessment. This research built on her strong emphasis on student empowerment in assessment. She was awarded Article of the Year in the International Journal for Academic Development, is a Principal Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), and is currently the academic lead in the curriculum integration strand of University College Dublin’s work-integrated learning strategic initiative.