This paper seeks to answer the question of the extent to which peer based formative assessment utilising an e-portfolio environment may contribute to the development of reflective, self regulated learners at 1st year undergraduate level in a teacher education programme. The paper reports on an action research project involving a structured, formative assessment feedback process, within a personal e-portfolio environment, to increases student engagement with course content and improve effectiveness of course delivery. The first year education studies element of a 4 year teacher education degree for students intending to teach in primary schools in Scotland involves over 160 students per year. This course was identified in student feedback as being a "difficult" class. Tutors saw a problem of lack of student engagement with the material and disappointing quality of resulting work. There was a perception of mismatch between requirements for final summative assessment and work expected from students during the module. Increasing evidence from literature on benefits of peer and self assessment methods in improving quality of student engagement and achievement, Black & Wiliam (1998), Gibbs & Simpson (2004) and Nicol & Milligan (2006), among many others listed below, led to the proposal to introduce a different teaching and learning approach in session 2006/07.The new approach involves the use of a series of tutor mediated self and peer assessed core tasks associated with five distinct learning milestones throughout the year. Learning milestones are associated with identifiable blocks of lectures delivered by different lecturers involved in the programme. The series of Core Tasks is designed to place progressively increasing demands on students so helping them develop more sophisticated learning skills as the year progresses. The e-portfolio enivronment is used as the medium for self/peer assessment processes and for tutor feedback and mediation. The intervention comprised the following elements- A self and peer assessment methodology supported by tutor mediation was adopted as the basis for formative assessment associated with each 'Learning Milestone'. - A personal e-portfolio system, already being introduced in other parts of the course, was utilised as the medium through which the formative assessment strategy could be implemented. This specialised platform, known as 'Pebblepad', also presentedthe opportunity to make it easier for students to make links between different modules; - Formative assessment was designed around a series of 5 Core Tasks spread throughout the year. Each of these Core Tasks is clearly associated with the equivalent 'Learning Milestone'. The Core Tasks are also designed to allow an incremental increase in the demands placed on students as the year progresses. The unifying theme throughout these tasks is to help students develop critical skills in considering the differing theoretical perspectives on learners and learning presented in the lecture programme. - To maximise the effectiveness of tutor feedback, this was provided to only one sub-group in a tutor's class for each Core Task submission. Different sub groups within a tutor group were identified as the focus for tutor feedback for each Core Task. Students were then invited to participate in a further peer analysis and interpretation of both the submission and its tutor feedback to encourage development of professional reflective skills applied to their own work.The paper will link this intervention to established literature in the fields of action research, formative assessment, and using VLEs in higher education. It will describe the strategy in detail and will present results from preliminary evaluation of the intervention. This evaluation will draw on informal feedback from both staff and students; the results of two formal, focus group interviews with groups of eight students; the results of two formal evaluation meetings with members of staff involved in the intervention; and the results of a questionnaire completed by the students at the end of the course. A formal, external evaluation is being conducted and the results of this will be available when the paper is presented.As well as the networks identified above, this paper also addresses elements of :- Educational effectiveness and quality assurance. - ICT in Education and Training - Reasearch in Higher Education Boud, D. (2000). Sustainable assessment: rethinking assessment for the learning society. Studies in Continuing Education, 22 (2), 151-167. Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: SRHE/Open University Press Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, (5), 7-74. Crooks, T.J. (1988) The impact of classroom evaluation practices on students. Review of Educational Research, (58), 438-481. Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2004). Conditions under which assessment supports students' learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1, 3-31. Gibbs, G. (2006) Why assessment is changing. In C. Bryan & K. Clegg (Eds.), Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (pp. 11-22). Holmes, B. & Gardner, J. (2006). E-Learning Concepts & Practice. London: Sage Natriello, G. (1987) The impact of evaluation processes in students, Educational Psychologist, (22),155-175. Nicol, D. & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199-218. Nicol, D. & Milligan, C. (2006) Rethinking technology-supported assessment practices in relation to the seven principles of good feedback practice. In C. Bryan & K. Clegg (Eds.), Innovative Assessment in Higher Education (pp. 64-78). Sadler, D.R. (1998) Formative Assessment; revisiting the territory. Assessment In Education, 5(1), 77-84.Teaching in Higher Education - an international peer-reviewed journal.