Starting out: project kick-off meeting.

We were invited to the two day JISC workshop (getting going and getting to know each other). The invitation e-mail set the tone of the day’s activities which were described as being interactive, lively and relaxed. Jeans and tee shirts were the order of the day. Naturally not only would we hear a little more about the project strand from the JISC but we would also have an opportunity to share to the group a little more about our project.

To help us to share the JISC challenged the teams to make a pitch to JISC tv-
The rules of engagement were …
In your 2 minute pitch tell us:

• The Plot (the challenges you are facing and how you intend to address them)
• The Characters (an introduction to the project team and key stakeholders)
• The Target Audience (who will benefit from the success of your project?)
• Why we should watch this project (why is it of interest to the wider sector?)

Hmm, neither of us (Helen Barefoot & Mark Russell) felt particularly creative - but we knew we did not want to just ‘stand-and-deliver’

After a sock was found in Mark’s laptop case we ventured the idea of sock puppetry. It didn’t take too long to realise this was a no-goer.

Our project title ESCAPE represents our core ideals - to create and maintain Effective Sustainable Change in Assessment Practices and Experience. Hmmm ESCAPE, plot, characters - Steve McQueen came to mind - Or Helen’s at least!

And so our pitch centred on drawing an analogy between ‘The Great Escape’ and our work’.
We identified the central characters - the Squadron Leader, the Tunnel King, the Cooler King, the Forger, the Scrounger, Mud-Movers and the Kommandant. And related them to our project team. Although there is some fun in the pitch - we believe the analogy works and in no way are we trivialising the issue.

Let’s see how others receive the pitch!