The University of Malta on the benefits of WISEflow for academics
The walkway named after Tessie Camilleri, the first female graduate of the University of Malta. All images courtesy of the University of Malta.
The University of Malta is a higher education institution in Malta with more than 11,000 students. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. The university has a 400-year history, and its main campus is located in Msida.
What follows is interviews with UM academics and staff members, conducted by the University of Malta, about their experiences using WISEflow. Interviews are reproduced with permission from the University of Malta.
Marking assessments using WISEflow
Dr Katya De Giovanni, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Faculty for Social Wellbeing and Director of the Cottonera Resource Centre, has welcomed the University’s adoption of the WISEflow software with open arms, as it has enabled her and her colleagues to minimise correction times.
When did you have your first experience with online assessment methods?
During a sabbatical year where I was invited to teach Work Psychology at the Universita' degli Studi di Padova, I had my first experience with online testing. I was completely hooked on to this idea for the very simple reason that most of our departmental budget was going to examination papers which were then shredded once they were used.
How does a system such as WISEflow compare to more traditional methods of assessment?
As I said, it saves on that budget that would usually go towards printing examination papers, and is good for the environment. The automatic correction of whole batches of multiple-choice examinations saves us a lot of time.
What’s the best WISEflow feature, in your opinion?
So far, I have found the use of WISEflow exceptional for multiple choice questions. It allows us to have as many responses as we like and we can also shuffle the responses so that students find it difficult to communicate about the correct answer. The interface is also easy and clear.
Would you encourage your colleagues to make the shift to WISEflow?
I would definitely encourage everyone to make the shift towards online testing. Gone are the days where I have to correct more than a hundred multiple choice scripts as now WISEflow will also do this automatically.
“I have found the use of WISEflow exceptional for multiple choice questions. ”
How WISEflow facilitates the grading process
Professor Nikolai J. Attard, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, and Head of the Department of the Oral Rehabilitation and Community Care within the same Faculty, reflects on how WISEflow helps academics grade assessments more quickly.
How has WISEflow facilitated the grading process for you?
WISEflow’s versatility allowed the Faculty to organise the same range of examinations, as per previous assessments, and to actually improve on them, through:
added security since questions and answers can be shuffled
a content bank that allows the tagging of assessments, allowing for faster classification and organisation
faster correction, since there is no struggle with deciphering students’ handwriting
inclusion of more than one examiner at the same time, making the process shorter, since it can be done concurrently, rather than waiting for their turn to receive examination scripts
How long have you been using WISEflow?
We have now used the programme twice for examinations and also throughout the year for continuous assessment in certain units.
Faculty academics, irrespective of age, have found the programme to be helpful with organising and completing the assessments, be they summative or formative in nature.
What words of encouragement do you have for your colleagues who have yet to embrace WISEflow?
I strongly encourage all academics to give WISEflow a try. I have no doubt that with some practice, and as they realise that it carries many benefits, they will embrace the program.
It’s a very supportive effort from the administrative services, and helps the University to be greener by turning the assessment process into a paperless one.
“The reliability, flexibility and security of the system is second to none.”
Interactive assessment with WISEflow
Edgar Galea Curmi, Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Social Policy & Social Work within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, reflects on how WISEflow is opening up an opportunity to assess students interactively and keeping them engaged for longer.
How long have you been using WISEflow?
This semester is the second one in which I have used the WISEflow platform for in-class tests and formal end-of-semester exams.
Although I still consider myself to be in the early days of using WISEflow, I’ve already used it extensively for multiple-choice-questions (MCQs) exam formats. Still, in reality, I’ve only explored a fraction of WISEflow’s potential.
What is your favourite feature of WISEflow so far?
This online platform has already opened for me extensive opportunities, such as the use of video and audio clips in MCQs. Also, the system enabled me to adapt the in-class tests and exams for a student with visual impairment.
The reliability, flexibility and security of the system is second to none.
Have students been receptive to these more interactive methods of assessment?
My transition to WISEflow was supported by the energetic, capable and always available WISEflow team. But perhaps, even more important than that is that students have been extremely positive about it.
Do you hope to keep making use of WISEflow?
I definitely intend to keep exploring and taking on board the full potential WISEflow holds to facilitate the work of academics and of students alike.
