back Liam Phelan [Liam.Phelan@newcastle.edu.au], GradSchool and Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia [www.newcastle.edu.au] Abstract This paper presents the design and application of a major individual assessment task created in part to develop students’ capacity for lifelong assessment, a key element of lifelong learning. Additionally the task contributes to fostering a sense of community in asynchronous online learning environments. The task is a supra disciplinary report, recently trialled and now adopted for two postgraduate environmental studies courses offered online. The task design’s theoretical underpinnings are reviewed with reference to (i) lifelong assessment, (ii) the value of lifelong assessment from the perspective of environmental studies, and (iii) the importance of fostering community to support learning in online contexts. The paper describes the task’s disaggregation into three discrete stages, and the opportunities this provides for fostering community and for supporting students to engage in critical assessment of the quality of their own and their peers’ written work, through a transparent, structured process of giving and receiving peer feedback. Keywords : Lifelong assessment, classroom community, complexity, environmental studies, learning outcomes, peer engagement. Assessment frames learning, creates learning activity and orients all aspects of learning behaviour. In many courses it has more impact on learning than does teaching (Gibbs, 2006, p.23). Introduction This paper presents a case study of an assessment task designed to support two diverse pedagogical aims. Firstly, beyond summative (certifying) and formative (aiding learning) aims, the task supports the development of students’ capacity for lifelong assessment (Boud, 2000; Boud and Falchikov, 2006). Boud (2000) describes lifelong assessment as ‘an indispensable accompaniment’ (p.151) to lifelong learning (Edwards, 1997), i.e. learning beyond formal tertiary study programs. Secondly the task is consistent with fostering a sense of classroom community (Rovai, 2002) in online learning environments. The argument that a sense of community supports students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction of learning experiences is common in the literature (e.g. Dawson, 2006; Black et al., 2008; Ni and Aust, 2008; Lear et al., 2010; Vlachopoulos and Cowan, 2010). The assessment task is a supra disciplinary report, trialled in 2007 as part of a major review of two courses. The task is now adopted and adapted as a key element of the assessment framework of two postgraduate environmental studies courses offered online through the University of Newcastle. The task has been used in a blended learning setting at undergraduate level also. Section two introduces the notion of lifelong assessment, also referred to as sustainable assessment (Boud, 2000) in an age of complexity. Section two also presents a discipline-specific perspective, from environmental studies, on complexity and the need for graduates and citizens with the capacity for lifelong learning and assessment. Section three discusses the benefits of fostering a sense of community (Rovai, 2000; Levine Laufgraben and Shapiro, 2004; Lear et al., 2010) amongst student cohorts, particularly in asynchronous online learning contexts. Section four introduces and describes the task design and structure, and iterative amendments to the task design and deployment in the period since 2007. Section five discusses the task’s consistency with fostering (i) capacity for lifelong assessment in students, as well as (ii) a sense of community in asynchronous online learning environments. Section five also includes some comments on the task with regard to learning outcomes and lecturer workloads, and suggests directions for further research. Section six concludes the paper. The role of assessment in lifelong learning Assessment is a key component of the learning process (Clegg and Bryan, 2006). Literature exploring the European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning http://www.eurodl.org/?p=current&article=488 1 of 12 2012.03.07. 14:48