3/2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Thematic Issue on Inclusion and Equality Through Arts and Art Education DATE OF PUBLICATION 19/12/2023 DOI 10.54916/rae.130054 ABSTRACT In art and design education, engag- ing students as partners in practice is a pedagogical necessity. Research shows that it is also an ethical necessity. However, art and design education are deeply entrenched in traditional modes of assessment that are sometimes counterintuitive to the landscape of progressive and innovative learning. There is evidence that assessments are based on subjective values in disciplines where objectivity is difficult to ascertain. Is there a link between the deceleration or arrest of the learner’s participation in communities of prac- tice and lifelong learning because of ambiguous assessment methods? Can these deficits be addressed by educational interventions? KEYWORDS assessment for learning; construc- tivist education; hidden curriculum; communities of practice; lifelong learning. FIONA J. QUILL Technological University of the Shannon fiona.quill@tus.ie FINDING THE MISSING LINK: STUDENT- CENTERED ASSESSMENT IN ART AND DESIGN EDUCATION AS A CATALYST FOR EXPANDED COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE AND LIFELONG LEARNING