This paper reports the findings of a one-year research project focused on a series of structured interventions aimed at enhancing task instruction to develop students' understanding of higher assessment practices, and encouraging higher order learning. It describes the nature and iterations of the interventions, made into a large-enrolment online first-year foundational academic skills unit, and analyses the effects of these interventions. The conclusions drawn are that student comprehension of assessment practices can be improved significantly through the expansion and explication of task instructions, and that these improvements may be transferable to other large, first year and online teaching contexts.