Building flexibility into student assessment: a longitudinal review

Universities are under increasing pressure to provide flexible learning environments that allow for increased student choice and in so doing provide for more individualized, independent learning. Data is presented from an 7 year longitudinal review of the use of asynchronous discussion forums in an undergraduate auditing course. Analysis of these data shows that students are capable of taking responsibility for their own learning by taking advantage of the flexibility offered in relation to the choice of assessment tasks offered. Patterns of choice indicate a significant proportion of students choose to complete tasks earlier rather than later and those students choosing earlier completion tend to attain higher marks for the assessment.