LOUISA – Reflections on User Group Meetings
In March 2026, the second set of user group meetings of the 2025/26 academic year took place. The two meetings enabled a more in-depth exploration of digital rubrics from both the Academic User Group (AUG) and the Professional Services User Group (PSUG), focusing on how digital rubrics enhance the student experience, while also looking at the benefits and challenges associated with their implementation.
Both sessions were delivered via Teams, with participants placed in randomised groups to carry out three tasks. The first task involved defining what constitutes a rubric, with discussions revealing differing perspectives between academic and administrative staff regarding the purpose of rubrics and the level of detail they should include. The conversations also highlighted inconsistencies in how the term ‘rubric’ is understood and applied in practice, with some participants noting that things described as rubrics essentially functioned as marking sheets. Despite these differences, there was a shared recognition of the role rubrics play in guiding students and supporting consistency in marking across disciplines, highlighting the importance of developing a shared understanding of rubric design and use. The discussions also demonstrated strong interest in developing greater confidence in rubric meaning, design, and implementation, with emerging themes from the sessions helping to inform the development of new teaching workshops focused on rubrics, details of which will be shared over the summer.
The second task diverged in focus but was inherently linked across the two user groups. The task involved participants from the AUG creating a digital rubric, which would then be used in the following session, where PSUG participants would map out a workflow to implement it. The task highlighted the complexities associated with rubric use and digital adoption. It was identified that there was a need for close communication between the academic and administrative teams, with the academics sharing the purpose of the rubric and how it maps to the outcomes of the course, whilst the professional services team provides input on the technical setup and reporting elements of the rubrics, and how they can be used by the students to understand their performance. A salient point noted from this task was the required level of knowledge among both sets of users for any successful digital rubric adoption and implementation, which points to a potential training opportunity.
The final part of the discussions focused on benefits and challenges to digital rubric implementation, and given the diverse range of assessment types as well as disciplines, differences in them (and their use) are perhaps unsurprising. Despite those differences, several benefits of their use emerged from the discussions, with the most notable being the consistency and transparency they provide. Questions remain about where, how, and even when digital rubrics are made available for students to access in their courses in Learn. Nevertheless, there was unanimous agreement that they are created in aid of the learner journey from pre-to-post assessment.
Thanks to all who came along and contributed to these discussions. This collaborative effort is crucial in helping realise the LOUISA vision to improve the use of data, workflows, and user experience in Learn. The insights from these sessions have been incorporated into activities being planned for the next academic year. Stay tuned for details of the ‘rubrics’ themed workshops due to roll out next academic year.
For continued updates and more information on the progression of LOUISA , visit our dedicated SharePoint page.
Share
