Project updates

30 January 2026

Dropboxes have now been deployed for Semester 2 modules and for Semester 1 resits.

Please check your drop boxes as soon as possible and correct dates and confirm settings as appropriate. This will help us avoid issues for students ahead of upcoming submission points. Please see our guidance for Which dropbox settings do I need to check in Coursework dropboxes? It is particularly important that you double-check and amend the dates for when you want the dropbox to be open for submissions and to select the correct date and time for the final deadline for submissions. 

For assessments specified as group work, you can set up a Moodle Assignment for file submissions where one student should submit on behalf of the group, but where a plagiarism check using Turnitin is not required. Please see workflow: How do I set up a Moodle assignment for group submissions (individualised marks and feedback)?. 

Note: if you use a Moodle Assignment for your submissions, then you will need to eventually manually transfer the final marks either directly to Banner or to the deployed Coursework activity. Please contact digitaleducation@brookes.ac.uk if you have any questions.

If your Resit Coursework activities have Turnitin enabled, you will need to extend the course end date to ensure that student submissions are correctly sent to Turnitin and so that marking can continue without errors. Please see our documentation for more information on why Turnitin assignment dropboxes expire and how you can extend the course end date. 

Check/amend a number of settings in the summative dropboxes before making them visible to students.

30 January 2026

Type C exceptional circumstances automated extensions

We are currently completing work to improve how Type C automated extensions are handled in Coursework.

While this work is underway, please note that for any Type C extensions, the exceptional circumstances (EC) email outcome should be treated as the source of truth. Staff and students should continue to rely on the EC decision email for confirmation of approved extensions until the system update is fully in place. Where helpful and possible, you may update the extension dates on your coursework drop box to reduce confusion for students. Please note, if your students are anonymised, you will need to contact digitaleducation@brookes.ac.uk to help you identify the correct student. Please see our documentation on managing Type C extensions for more information. 

Please note that all ISP extension information should already be correct.

We will send a further update once the improvement work on Type C automated extensions is complete.

Please see our documentation on managing Type C extensions for more information. 

30 January 2026

Questionnaire and feedback

We would really welcome your feedback on the new Coursework functionality, which now includes coursework deployment, automated extensions and automated mark upload.

We are keen to hear from everyone, including colleagues who have used the new features and those who chose not to use them or were not aware of them at the time. Understanding all perspectives will help us improve the assessment lifecycle experience for everyone.

We know there were some issues, particularly around automated extensions. Many of these have already been resolved, and others are actively being worked on. Your views will help us understand what is working well and where we can make further improvements.

The questionnaire should take around five to ten minutes to complete and will support the next stage of development.

Complete the Coursework functionality questionnaire

The questionnaire will be open until 13 February 2026, and we may contact you to follow up on your responses.

Complete the Coursework functionality questionnaire

9 December 2025

Did you know the Coursework tool in Moodle allows Module Leaders to automatically transfer marks from Moodle to Banner without having to manually copy marks from a Moodle spreadsheet to a Banner spreadsheet.

You can see how the process works in our step-by-step guidance here: How do I upload marks from Moodle Coursework to Banner automatically?

Important. The automatic mark upload process works only when the mark upload window in Banner is opened. There is no fixed date for when the mark upload window opens, so please always check with the Registry by emailing studentrecords@brookes.ac.uk before following the steps to queue grades from Moodle to Banner.

Check out our mark upload guidance.

25 October 2025

New guidance is now available for the following topics: 

• How do I mark event Courseworks in Moodle?

• How do I set up a Moodle assignment for group submissions (individualised marks and feedback)?

• How do I mark a Group Moodle assignment (individualised marks and feedback)?

• How do I release marks and feedback to students from a Coursework activity?

Check out our new guidance.

8 October 2025

New guidance is now available for the following topics: 

• How many Coursework activities will I have in Moodle if I have metalinked Moodle courses?

• How do I mark a PASS/FAIL assessment in a Coursework activity?

Check out our new guidance.

24 September 2025

The Coursework dropboxes for summative assessment have been deployed in the Assessment section of the Semester 1 2025-26 academic modules in Moodle.

We appreciate bearing with us while we are trying to get Coursework deployed and iron out any issues.

Check/amend a number of settings in the summative dropboxes before making them visible to students.

17 September 2025

We are in the process of testing before the final deployment of summative dropboxes in academic modules that start in Semester 1 2025-26. There are thousands of dropboxes that need to be deployed so the deployment processes needs to happen in stages to avoid issues.

We appreciate bearing with us while we are trying to get Coursework to as many Semester 1 modules as possible.

No action needed.

9 September 2025

The recording of the staff webinar on 8 September and the Q&A document are now available.

Watch the recording, read the Q&A document and our guidance.

23 July 2025

We will be holding a webinar about the project and the rollout of the Coursework tool in Moodle on 8 September at 12 noon. Join us to learn more about the project, the key features of the Coursework tool, our training and support and ask the panel any questions you may have.

The webinar will be recorded.

No need to book. Add the Moodle Coursework tool training event to your calendar as a reminder.

12 June 2025

Many thanks to everyone who joined our webinar on Monday 9 June 2025 on the Assessment Lifecycle (ALC) Project and the Coursework tool in Moodle. 

The recording is now available below along with the Q&A document:

1. Recording (video): Moodle Coursework tool - Webinar for staff - 9 June 2025

2. Recording (text-only format): Moodle Coursework Training Webinar - 9 June 2025 (Text-only format)

3. Q&A document: Coursework webinar for staff - 9 June Q&A

For any issues or questions please raise a ServiceNow ticket - which will go directly to the correct team - using this link: Submit an Assessment Life Cycle Query

15 May 2025

We will be holding a webinar about the project and the rollout of the Coursework tool in Moodle on 9 June 2025 at 12pm. Join us to learn more about the project, the key features of the Coursework tool, our training and support and ask the panel any questions you may have.

No need to book. Add the first Moodle Coursework tool training event to your calendar as a reminder.

30 April 2025

The Coursework tool in Moodle will be rolled out to everyone across the University in September 2025.

Look out in future Staff Update emails for more details, training and support.

2 April 2025

We wanted to update you on an issue that has occurred, as part of the Pilot, related to coursework extensions this semester and reassure you that, while some unusual extension dates may appear, there’s no need for major concern. However, we do recommend reviewing extensions to check for anything unexpected.

What Happened?

When coursework activities were set up, there was an issue where the system assigned an “extension” date to all students, even those without an approved extension (e.g., Exceptional Circumstances (EC) or ISP). These were mostly zero-day extensions and didn’t affect submission deadlines. However, if you later changed the assessment due date this may have caused inconsistencies as the extension would not have updated.

Why Does This Matter?

For most students, this won’t be an issue. Coursework is only late if submitted after the due date. The main concern arises when due dates were moved earlier, triggering system warnings.

What’s Being Done to Fix This?

We are in the process of updating the code to resolve these issues.

What Should You Do?

Most modules require no action. If you see unexpected extension dates, check if they align with legitimate ECs or ISPs or the current due date and delete or update if necessary. If needed, we can assist with corrections, please book one of our appointments slots.

Thank you for your patience, we will be releasing the new code that should resolve this issue soon. Let us know if you have questions or notice anything unusual by raising a ServiceNow ticket.

Check extension dates in your dropboxes.

3 February 2024

Dropboxes for Semester 1 Resits have been deployed to the modules that participated in Pilot 2. 

Ensure these dropbox settings are correct.

22 January 2025

A huge thank you to those who participated in Pilot 1 and 2 of the Assessment Life Cycle Project.

We are now moving onto Pilot 3, which will seek to build on the first two Pilot's learnings before the rollout across to the wider university in September 2025.

We will be in touch shortly with further information, here are some important points to note:

• This pilot will include all Module Leaders that have participated in Pilots 1 and 2 who have modules in Semester two. This will include all of your modules in Semester two.

• The Coursework activities (drop-boxes) for these will be created for you in the Assessment section of your modules by Friday 24th January 2025.

• Here is the written documentation (with step-by-step guidance & screenshots) to support you with any set up changes.

• Once you see the dropboxes in your module, please check these settings first: How do I know if an assessment submission dropbox is set up correctly?

• You can email your Faculty DMeLDs for support with configuring your dropbox.

The project team is looking forward to working with you further.

Ensure these dropbox settings are correct.