Informed Teachers and Learners: The importance of assessing the characteristics needed for lifelong learning

In order to be members of the learning society, students must become lifelong learners; that is, learners who have a wide repertoire of cognitive learning strategies, are metacognitive about learning and themselves as learners, are motivated to learn, and can manage their feelings and available resources effectively. Although there is evidence that these lifelong learner characteristics contribute to academic achievement, not many teachers or students know much about them or their relationship to learning and assessment. In this paper, we describe how cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and affective aspects of learning can be assessed using both quantitative and qualitative methods and discuss how the outcomes of this assessment can inform learning, teaching and assessment practices that foster lifelong learning.