In this article we explore some of the key concepts of WISEflow. If you wish to learn more, please take a look at our eLearning resource.
What is a 'Flow'?
The successful running of an assessment is much more than a student submitting work or sitting an examination. There is a great deal of work that occurs both before and after that point. In essence, it is a process that moves through various stages; set-up, student participation, marking/grading and finalisation. In WISEflow an assessment process is referred to as a 'flow'.
Roles and Actions in WISEflow
There are eight roles in WISEflow that are defined by the associated actions. A user may require access to just one of the roles in the system or several depending on the activities that they will carry out to support the successful running of flows in the system.
Below is an overview of each of the user roles and associated actions in WISEflow.
An assessor in WISEflow views submissions from participants, provides feedback and establishes and submits grades.
WISEflow authors build or upload assignments that can be attached to flows. They can also build marking rubrics that assessors can use to assist in the marking/grading process.
Invigilators in WISEflow have access to system features/functionality that enables them to monitor the progress of participants on flows.
The licence administrator has the ability to configure system level settings such as email notifications and the archiving of flows.
Licence administrators can also bulk import and manage system users.
Managers in WISEflow can create and configure the required settings for flows in the system. They can associate other users with flows such as participants, assessors, moderators, authors and invigilators.
Managers can also export marks/grades at the conclusion of a flow.
Participants in WISEflow are the people who complete the assessments that have been set up for them in the system. In most cases, participants will be students or candidates.
Participants can also view feedback and grades that have been provided to them in the system.
A reviewer relates to the marking/grading process and is determined by the marking/grading process that is employed for a flow.
Reviewers can be given read only access to the work of assessors or can be given the privilege of deciding the final grade for student submissions. If the latter approach is used, assessors will submit their recommendations to the reviewer who can decide on a final grade.
The support (and extended support) privileges can be granted by the licence administrator. Supporters can search for and impersonate other users in the system to help them with various troubleshooting tasks.
The extended supporter has all the privileges granted to the supporter with the addition of access to more detailed flow overviews, the ability to edit user credentials and to add users to the system.
Participation & Marking Periods
The participation period is defined by the manager during the set-up of a flow or, if an integration exists with another platform such as a student information system, via the transfer of data.
A participation start date/time and end date/time for a flow defines the participation period. The participation period is the window in which flow participants have to complete a set assessment.
In addition to the general flow participation period described above, it is also possible for managers to provide specific participation start and end dates/times to individual participants.
The marking period is defined by the manager during the set-up of a flow or, if an integration exists with another platform such as a student information system, via the transfer of data.
The start date/time and end date/time for a flow define the marking period. The marking period is the window in which assessors, and if applicable reviewers, have to complete the marking/grading of participant submissions on a flow.
In addition to the general flow marking period described above, it is also possible for managers to provide an individual marking deadline to individual participants. If required, this individual marking deadline can exceed the end date/time of the general marking period.
What are 'Flow Types'?
Different forms of assessment call for different processes. WISEflow supports a range of assessment formats through 'flow types'.
File Upload Type Assessments
With FLOWassign, participants view/download the set assignment from WISEflow and then work outside of the system to create their submission. Participants then upload their paper as a PDF and, if required, fill out a cover sheet during the participation period. If enabled, their submission can be supplemented with appendix material where no specific file type is required.
Assessors can then provide feedback and provide grades within the system. Participants can view their provided feedback/grades within WISEflow.
With FLOWhandin, participants view/download the set assignment from WISEflow and then work outside of the system to create their submission file(s). This flow type allows files to be submitted in any digital format such as PDF, Word, Excel, audio and video files etc.
Assessors can then provide feedback and establish grades within the system. Participants can view their feedback/grades within WISEflow.
Participation and Submission within WISEflow
When using FLOWlock, the manager attaches an assignment task as a PDF file and the participants create their paper within an editor inside WISEflow. The assessment can be set up with or without the use of the WISEflow lockdown browser. Additional invigilation tools like Facial comparison and Voice detection can be enabled for use in the locked environment whilst the Device Monitor can be enabled when the lockdown browser is not in use. Participants submit within the participation period set by the manager. If enabled by the manager during the set-up of the flow, participants can create appendices such as drawings, images from their web camera or code examples which accompany their submission. During the set-up of the flow, managers can also specify approved web resources that can be accessed by participants during the locked down assessment.
When the participation period ends, the assessors assigned to the flow review the submissions and provide feedback and award grades. Participants can view their feedback/grades within WISEflow.
FLOWmulti assignments are created in the system by authors and can include a range of question types such as multiple-choice, maths, essay and interactive questions etc. FLOWmulti assignments can contain both auto-scored and manually scored questions. The assessment can be set up with or without the use of the WISEflow lockdown browser. Additional invigilation tools like Facial comparison and Voice detection can be enabled for use in the locked environment whilst the Device Monitor can be enabled when the lockdown browser is not in use. Participants complete the assignment within WISEflow and submit within the participation period. If enabled by the manager during the set-up of the flow, participants can create appendices such as drawings, images from their web camera or code examples which accompany their submission.
When the participation period ends, the assessors assigned to the flow review the submissions and provide feedback and award final grades. If a FLOWmulti assessment is fully auto-scored, the system performs the marking of submissions. Participants can view their feedback/grades within WISEflow.
Attendance/Performance Type Assessments
FLOWattend can be used to register attendance at face-to-face or remote assessment events. With FLOWattend, participants do not submit anything nor complete an assessment within the system. However, assessors can use digital tools in WISEflow to provide feedback and marks/grades if required. Participants can view their feedback/grades within WISEflow.
FLOWoral provides support for face-to-face or remote performance or skill demonstration type assessments.
Managers specify assessment periods and allocate participants to appointments within these periods. This schedule can then be used by assessors as they observe participants during the assessment and use tools in WISEflow to provide feedback and marks/grades. Participants can view their feedback/grades within WISEflow.