This week, I finally put the finishing touches on my seventh course of the MBA! That final assignment in Operations Management was particularly fitting—it was all about maintaining academic excellence. Because, let me tell you, this term has probably been the most difficult run I’ve had so far.

The academic work itself wasn't the main culprit; it was juggling the pressures of life, like finishing major infrastructure projects at work, that really squeezed the available hours. Throw in my intense internal desire to ace every single project, and the self-discipline needed to keep the wheels turning became a job in itself.

But then, the universe threw a proper spanner in the works.

The Accidental All-Nighter

In the group assignment, one student’s contribution was, well, challenging. Let's just call it an unexpected "Project Resurrection" mission. About twelve hours before the deadline, I realised the presentation needed a serious intervention, and I ended up spending a spirited night wrestling it back from the brink, finally wrapping up at 2:00 AM. While the final result was spot-on, the physical exhaustion and mental scramble were certainly a baptism by fire! It just goes to show what you'll do to protect a passing mark.

The Paperwork Battle

When it comes to assessing written assignments, you have to be ready for the full spectrum of opinion. This term, my scores ranged from a comical 26/90 to a perfect 90/90—a true masterpiece of peer confusion! Despite citing and referencing my sources religiously, I had to open the administrative filing cabinet and request a review. I detest having to complain, honestly, but it’s a necessary hurdle to ensure fairness, and thankfully, the grade was sorted in the end.

Building a Better System

On the less jolly side of the assignment coin, I spotted the odd rogue wave of plagiarism (some papers were clocking in over 70%!). Following the proper procedure for reporting these issues is essential, but it was a bit frustrating when one instructor's response implied that we were meant to "sort it out ourselves." It only reinforced my view that we need better tools in place!

I would absolutely champion the idea of getting a tool like UniCheck integrated into the Moodle Server. Providing students with immediate feedback on their work before submission would be a game-changer. Prevention, after all, is far better than reporting a problem afterwards.

Now, I am looking forward to the academic rest of the next three weeks. It’s high time to recharge, motivate myself, and remember why we all started this journey: to keep on keeping on!