The Arctic University of Norway on the benefits of digital assessment

BACKGROUND TO THE DIGITAL TRANSITION

Maria: I have been working at UiT since 2012, starting as an examination officer in the faculty of Economies, Biosciences and Fishery. From the time that I arrived at UiT, there was a push towards digitising exams. Several departments were looking into it, and I joined this push quite quickly, as I was fresh into the role! While the license was centrally bought at our institution, the push towards a digital transition started as a faculty initiative.

Back in 2013, the main driver was faculties that were interested in trying something new and optimising their processes. The whole university is now using WISEflow, and has been doing so for some time. Students use it for their take-home exams, approximately 80% of on-site assessments also take place on WISEflow – so close to 3,500 exam units took place on the platform in the last academic year.

Nowadays, I am responsible for how we do exams at UiT. The central administrative examination group ensures that there are available resources for all new academic staff, as well as providing courses and webinars throughout the semesters, to ensure everyone is given adequate support and training.

A lot of what we would consider the ‘administrative burden’ is now almost non-existent at UiT. All the time spent registering grades, scanning paper, sending exams to assessors, and ensuring external moderation – we don’t even regard this as work anymore. With WISEflow, this work is automated and streamlined. This has become business as usual for us.

WISEflow also allows us to create flows that can be used across multiple campuses. UiT has four main campuses, and ensuring consistency across these used to be far more difficult because we did not have everything on one central platform. Now, it’s so much easier! We are able to include all campuses within one concurrent flow, and then just filter and sort by examination rooms. Simplifying aspects of assessment administration at UiT is just the baseline from which we have built.

Beyond the creation and distribution of exams and grades, we also experience significant administrative benefits in communication to both staff and students. The WISEflow message centre plays an important part in informing students and is integrated with our SIS for easy accessibility. WISEflow streamlines all our processes.

PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH REAL, PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

We now assess in more complex ways. A lot of digital tools are used in disciplines like the sciences, and while you can learn the theory and principles for these subjects, it is not the same as having real-world experience. Having a digital assessment platform gives you more flexibility to work in an authentic way.

Of course, we use the lockdown browser, as many institutions do, to ensure a controlled environment for certain exams. However, when it comes to putting theory into practice, we can accommodate more varying assessment types, such as open-book assessments, that use the digital tools available to the students’ advantage.

There is definitely a line to walk between relevant and criteria-based assessment. It’s important to assess both ways – in a more traditional, controlled fashion and also simulating real-world experiences. This is a reflection on society and the workplace, outside examination situations. You naturally want to assess differently than you would have done 15 years ago. When you digitise exams, you have the opportunity to do so.

FLEXIBILITY AND NAVIGATING THE PANDEMIC

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, we were extremely fortunate to be in our position already using WISEflow. Of course, we had to switch all our exams to take-home assessments, but this was just an emergency response, and we already had the infrastructure in place to handle it. We had been detached from relying on paper for a long time, so whether or not the exams were meant to be digital didn’t matter; we just got on with it.

In the end, the pandemic wasn’t really a thing for UiT. We changed student timetables to accommodate for the alternative take-home assessments, but the flexibility of digital assessment allowed us to adapt to the situation with ease.

In fact, during the pandemic, a lot of academics ended up experimenting with different exam formats, as there were more possibilities for students in the home setting. For example, they could ask them to use Excel, or any other programmes that they might have on their devices. What we experienced after the pandemic was an increased number of questions about external resources. It seems to me that academics realised they could get more out of using digital tools in varied ways, and while the pandemic may have accelerated this, it has remained an ongoing trend at UiT.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: THE WISEflow DEVICE MONITOR TOOL

As I have said, working with WISEflow is now business as usual; however, there is always room for development. We are eagerly awaiting the release of the WISEflow Device Monitor tool, and we feel this will be beneficial for the institution by adding another option in our exam security toolkit. We have some academics who want to be able to do lots of different things with on-site exams. We currently use the lockdown browser, which is great for ensuring students stay within a controlled environment and only use specific sources, but the device monitor tool will allow us more flexibility when designing exams to be sat on campus.

Academics will be able to tailor their assessments more than they can when using FLOWlock. The device monitor tool will give students the opportunity to use further resources during open-book exams that are sat on-site, while there is still an understanding that they are being watched and the environment is being controlled. This means that, for example, if academics are encouraging the use of AI in their assessments, provided is it correctly cited and referenced, students would be able to do this while still sitting a monitored exam.

ADVICE FOR INSTITUTIONS LOOKING TO MAKE THE SWITCH TO DIGITAL ASSESSMENT

I think the most important thing is to be realistic and prepared before making the digital transition. At the end of the day, this is a project that you will need to put resources into. There is an investment cost, but I would say it is definitely worth it.

Ensure there is a project team for the implementation and onboarding, and make sure to put enough people on that team! This will make the process more efficient each step of the way.

Thank you to Maria for sitting down with us and discussing the WISEflow experience at UiT.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How will WISEflow improve the digital exam experience for students? Students gain a more intuitive and consistent exam interface, better access to materials and feedback, and a stable technical setup for both remote and on‑site exams. This helps reduce stress and improves clarity throughout the entire assessment process.

What operational benefits will instructors and administrative staff experience? WISEflow significantly reduces manual work by automating exam creation, role assignment, and data flows through integration with STADS. This lowers the risk of administrative errors and frees staff to focus on academic quality rather than repetitive tasks.

What makes WISEflow a reliable choice for secure digital and on-site exams? WISEflow supports the full exam lifecycle, from creation to grading, while offering robust security for supervised on‑site exam environments. Integrations and secure workflows ensure that both students and staff can trust the platform during high‑stakes assessments.

How does UNIwise ensure a smooth transition from other platforms? UNIwise provides a structured onboarding process, technical integration, training, and ongoing support to reduce risk and guarantee a seamless transition.

How does onboarding to WISEflow work? Onboarding is phased to minimize risk and ensure a smooth transition. UNIwise provides training materials, technical support, and workshops so that both administrative teams and faculty become confident with the platform.

What are the benefits of consolidating digital assessment systems into one platform? A unified solution improves efficiency, creates consistent processes, and enables mobility across institutions. It makes it easier for students and staff to work across campuses and ensures that new features benefit the entire sector.

Reducing the administrative burden, ensuring flexibility and providing an authentic experience