Recently, our head of department asked those of us involved in the Marks Processing Project (MPP) to contribute our thoughts for a lessons learned reflection. Having worked on this project for several months, I wanted to share some observations about what worked well and what we might consider for future initiatives.

My Role in the Project

As one of the Digital Education/LTA contacts for the MPP, my involvement included attending meetings and workshops, reviewing documentation, and providing technical expertise to support the project team. Josh and I collaborated on reviewing key documents such as the Glossary of Terms and Assessment Glossary. A key contribution was creating the Turnitin vs Blackboard Ultra comparison guide, which aimed to clarify the nuances between these tools when it comes to choosing the more appropriate option for setting up assignments. I also participated in the “Setting up Assessment Portals in Blackboard” workshop, which proved invaluable for understanding the practical implementation challenges.

What Worked Well

The workshop format was particularly effective in bringing people together and revealing how different schools approach their assessment workflows. Seeing the standard assessment lifecycle mapped out provided a common reference point, whilst the collaborative approach to documentation review allowed us to contribute our expertise where it mattered most.

The project has produced several valuable resources for the university, including:

These outputs have proven useful across the institution and represent tangible outcomes from our collaborative efforts.

Considerations for Future Projects

Looking back at the project, several observations emerged that might inform how we approach similar initiatives in the future.

Process and Scope

The marking process contains considerable nuances across schools, and mapping processes for specific programmes proved more challenging than anticipated. Schools vary significantly in their support for anonymous marking and complex workflows – some have well-established systems whilst others are still developing theirs. Standardising the complete assessment cycle is inherently complex given the multiple stakeholders involved at each stage, from SIMS setup through to marking and feedback.

Communication and Coordination

After Franki left the project, communication became less regular and it was sometimes unclear who was leading different aspects of the work. I also noticed some overlap with the Priority Process Workshop I attended in December 2024, which appeared to cover similar ground but was led by different colleagues. This made me wonder about coordination across university initiatives and whether we could better align related projects.

There were times when the project’s objectives seemed to overlap with our day-to-day work, which raised questions about ownership of different outputs and how we distinguish between business-as-usual activities and project deliverables.

Technical Considerations

The differences between assessment tools – such as Turnitin versus Blackboard with Turnitin enabled – require careful navigation and clear guidance for users, which is why I’ve created the Turnitin Assignment vs Blackboard Assignment Comparison guide hoping to clarify some of the nuances. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in PDF format via SharePoint could potentially be more accessible in a different format, perhaps as web pages or interactive guides. Developing decision-making tools to help staff choose appropriate assessment tools has proven quite challenging, suggesting this might benefit from a more structured approach in future.

Principles Versus Process

Reflecting on the broader question of principles versus process, I think establishing clear principles early on would have been helpful, particularly around:

  • Standardisation with flexibility: How to accommodate school-specific variations whilst working towards institutional standardisation
  • Governance and ownership: Clear delineation of who owns project outputs and how they transition to business-as-usual
  • Communication structures: Especially important during team transitions to maintain momentum and clarity

Looking Forward

The MPP has been a valuable learning experience, both in terms of the practical outputs delivered and the insights gained about managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects. The collaborative approach brought together expertise from across the university, and whilst there were challenges, the project has laid important groundwork for future improvements to our assessment processes.

As we move forward, the lessons from this project – particularly around early establishment of principles, clear communication channels, and coordination of related initiatives – will undoubtedly prove useful for similar projects across the institution.