Project Overview
A UK Russell Group university with 42,000 students, 4,800 academic staff, and an expiring Blackboard Learn lic...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK Russell Group university with 42,000 students, 4,800 academic staff, and an expiring Blackboard Learn licence needed to build a bespoke Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) — moving from Blackboard to a custom platform providing personalised learning pathways, AI-powered content recommendation, and integration with the university's research and assessment systems. UK GDPR (student data — UK GDPR Article 9 for disability data and health-related assessment adjustments), ICO AADC (some undergraduates are 17–18), PSBAR WCAG 2.1 AA, and HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council) data quality requirements were mandatory. Budget: £180,000.
Our Approach
Learning pathway personalisation
student profile (programme, year of study, prior module grades, declared disability — adjustments needed, preferred learning style from onboarding assessment) → personalised content recommendations.
AI recommendation
- collaborative filtering (students similar to you found this resource helpful), content-based filtering (this resource matches your learning objectives for this module), and academic staff curation (module leader-flagged essential resources displayed prominently).
- LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) 1.3: content from third-party providers (Pearson, Sage, JSTOR — all LTI 1.3 compatible) embedded within VLE without separate login.
Turnitin integration
LTI 1.3 embedded Turnitin similarity check within VLE assignment submission.
Assignment workflow
- student submits → Turnitin processes → similarity score returned to module leader → academic integrity review if score >
- threshold.
GDPR note
Turnitin processes student writing samples — Turnitin EU Data Processing Agreement required (student data does not leave EU).
Assessment diversity
multiple submission types (essay upload, code submission via Git integration, presentation recording, group project with per-student contribution tracking).
Extenuating circumstances
ECS (Extenuating Circumstances) submission workflow — student uploads evidence, personal tutor reviews, assessment adjustment applied automatically.
Student Disability and WCAG Compliance
Student disability data is Article 9 special category (UK GDPR).
Disability adjustments
students with declared disabilities have learning adjustments (extra time in timed assessments, alternative format resources, captioned video mandatory).
Platform
- disability adjustment flag applied automatically to all timed activities (extra time calculation based on approved % — 25%, 50%, 100%).
- WCAG 2.1
AA
ClickMasters accessibility audit at every sprint — zero critical violations.
Screen reader testing
- NVDA + Chrome and VoiceOver + Safari.
- For students who require BSL (British Sign Language): video resources captioned with BSL interpreter option where provided.
HESA Data Quality and Student Records Integration
HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency): universities submit student data annually.
HESA Student Record
module enrolment, assessment outcomes, completion, qualification awarded.
VLE data
- module engagement metrics fed into student support early warning system (low engagement → personal tutor alert).
- SITS (Student Information and Timetabling System): the UK's dominant university student records system.
SITS integration
- VLE pulls enrolled modules, student details, and assessment configurations from SITS
- SITS receives assessment results from VLE via SITS API.
ClickMasters SITS integration experience
12 UK universities supported.
The Results
Platform live at 24 weeks, £164,000 — under budget. 42,000 students migrated in 4-week summer window (zero mid-semester disruption).
WCAG 2.1 AA: zero critical non-compliances.
Student VLE satisfaction: 4.1/5 (Blackboard: 2.4/5).
Assessment submission on time: 94.2% (Blackboard: 88.4% — improved deadline management notifications).
Personalised learning resource engagement: 68% of students actively using personalised recommendations.
Academic staff content creation time: 3.2 hours/week → 1.8 hours/week (AI content tagging automation).
Annual licence saving vs Blackboard: £420,000.
“4.1 versus 2.4 satisfaction. £420,000 annual Blackboard licence saving. 42,000 students migrated in 4 weeks. Disability adjustments automatic — previously 2 days manual per student per semester. Personalised recommendation 68% engagement. Assessment submission on time from 88.4% to 94.2%. The SITS integration was the technical challenge — no other supplier had done it in a custom VLE build before. ClickMasters' SITS experience from 12 prior universities made it routine." — Pro-Vice-Chancellor Digital, UK Russell Group University (name withheld)”
Project Details
Related Case Studies
View AllEdTech Assessment Platform — KCSIE Compliant, SIMS Integrated
A UK EdTech startup needed to build a formative assessment and pupil progress tracking platform for UK primary...
EdTech Learning Management System — UK Further Education College
A UK further education college with 12,000 students needed to replace their legacy VLE (Virtual Learning Envir...
EdTech Adaptive Learning Platform — UK GCSE Revision App
A UK EdTech startup wanted to build an adaptive learning platform for GCSE revision — serving Year 10 and Year...
Ready to Transform Your Business?
Let's discuss how our technical expertise can help you achieve remarkable results.