Mark studied Chemistry and Polymer Science and Technology at Loughborough University, graduating in 1977. After leaving university, he spent over five years in a number of positions with the Plessey Company, firstly in materials development for electronics applications and later in materials engineering support for electrical connector manufacture. In 1983 Mark joined the Open University as a Lecturer in Materials in order to pursue a growing interest in education, working initially in the postgraduate and professional updating area. Here he helped develop courses in materials science and engineering and manufacturing systems engineering, honing his skills in writing educational materials and presenting television programmes. One of his most important contributions to the postgraduate curriculum in Technology has been the project course for the taught Masters' programme in Manufacturing.

Subsequently Mark moved on to work in the mainstream undergraduate curriculum of the Technology Faculty. Here he was involved in courses covering natural resources and materials processing and manufacturing.

In 1997 Mark was elected Sub-Dean Undergraduate Studies in the Faculty and from this position he has helped shape the future development of the Technology undergraduate curriculum. In collaboration with many of his colleagues, he is currently re-negotiating the roles of residential schools and audio and video media within the Open University courses at a time of rapidly increasing access of the general public to networked computing.