From the start, it was of utmost importance that BOSS would be educationally sound. In particular, the following properties were necessary.
Data processed by BOSS needed to be accurate.
BOSS was designed as a tool for online submission, marking and course management. It was not intended to become a CAL (Computer-Assisted Learning) package, and should therefore not affect students' learning experience.
Different academic staff may deliver modules in different ways, both pedagogically and structurally. BOSS should therefore not affect a teacher's professional decisions about the delivery of their material, and should still be able to be used and to be useful to them.