Podcasts
From the Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) team at Technological University Dublin, LTA in Conversation (Spotify, Apple) brings together voices from across the university to share ideas, experiences, and approaches to teaching, assessment, and curriculum design. Each episode offers insights grounded in experience and shaped by contemporary academic practice. The series explores themes including the generative AI assessment challenge, the AI assessment scale, strategies for engaging learners, authentic assessment in theory and practice, and supporting writing in an age of ubiquitous generative AI.
If you have an idea for an LTA in Conversation podcast, or would like to participate in one, please contact the Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) team.
Episode 4 (2 October 2026): The Chemistry of Engagement
In episode four of LTA in Conversation, academic developer Conor Mellon continues our discussion of learner engagement with Claire McDonnell, an Organic Chemistry lecturer in the School of Chemical & BioPharmaceutical Sciences at TU Dublin. Recorded earlier this year at the University's new Academic Hub, Claire shares how she puts learner engagement into practice, exploring the role of hands-on learning, laboratory work and scaffolding in supporting deep engagement. They also consider challenges that can affect student engagement, from the scale of a large university to long commutes and personal commitments, and discuss practical approaches to active, engaging learning, including real-world examples, formative feedback and self-assessment.
Episode 3 (5 June 2026): Exploring the Spectrum of Learner Engagement
In the third episode of LTA in Conversation, academic developer Conor Mellon is joined by Fionnuala Darby and Mick O'Connor for a wide-ranging discussion on a topic that sits right at the heart of what we do as educators: learner engagement.
Together, they explore what engagement really looks like beyond attendance and participation, from designing it intentionally into our teaching, to treating students as genuine partners and co-creators in their own learning, and building the kind of belonging and connection that keeps students motivated and curious.
Episode 2 (26 May 2026): Taking your First Steps with the AI Assessment Scale
In this second episode of LTA in Conversation, we continue our discussion of the 'Gen AI Assessment Challenge' with a closer look at the a framework for setting clear, transparent expectations around the ethical use of generative AI for learners.
Hosted by Academic Developer Derek Dodd, this episode brings together LTA colleague Ana Schalk, alongside returning guests Damian Gordon and Róisín Guilfoyle. Together, they unpack what the AI Assessment Scale is, how it works in practice, and how educators might begin to implement it within their own teaching and assessment contexts.
Episode 1 (20 April 2026): The GenAI Assessment Challenge
In this first episode of Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) in Conversation, academic developer Derek Dodd is joined by Damian Gordon, Lecturer in Computer Science, and Róisín Guilfoyle, Research Librarian, for a wide-ranging discussion on the challenges Generative AI (Gen AI) presents for teaching and learning in higher education, with a particular focus on assessment design, integrity, and validity.