Introduction
At UNIwise, helping our customers on their journey towards successful delivery of the digitalisation or improvement of their students’ assessment experience is of the utmost importance.
We consider our approach to a WISEflow Onboarding Project a critical component of the value we bring to an institution undertaking a transformative digital assessment project. Software is essential, but people and planning are crucial elements that underpin the project success of such strategically important initiatives. We have a well-honed WISEflow rollout project strategy, shaped over years, and we have supported over 100 institutions to manage assessments in WISEflow.
The reputation of UNIwise is based on working closely with customers in their projects and our attention to supporting customer success.
A WISEflow Onboarding project begins as soon as the customer has signed a contract with UNIwise.
In this article, you can learn more about the Onboarding Experts who will lead you through the onboarding of WISEflow and the structure of the onboarding project, which follows the steps below:
- Project planning
- Onboarding Phase
- WISEflow Configuration and System Integration
- WISEflow Training
- Project Team Meetings
- First WISEflow Assessment
- End of Onboarding – Transition into Business as Usual
WISEflow Onboarding Experts
A dedicated Onboarding Expert will guide and advise all customers through the WISEflow Onboarding Project. We take pride in building lasting working relationships with all customers.
As a UNIwise onboarding customer, you will have access to an engaged and receptive WISEflow Onboarding Expert, who will lead you through all phases of the onboarding project; project planning, onboarding, and the transition to the all-important Business As Usual (BAU) phase as customers scale up digital assessment across the Institution. The Onboarding Expert is your Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the entire onboarding project.
We have a team of Onboarding Experts from our Customer Success Department based in Denmark, Germany, Norway and the UK.
All our onboarding experts are both:
- Product specialists with experience and extensive knowledge about the processes and organisation at institutions of varying complexity and specialist knowledge of the features and functions in WISEflow; and
- Project Managers who work based on the principles of the PRINCE2 project management method and have access to a range of project management products.
WISEflow Onboarding Project
The following graphic illustrates the components of a typical WISEflow Onboarding Project. All parts of the graphic will be explained in more detail below:
The WISEflow Onboarding Project will be managed in the UNIwise project management tool and shared with the institution to ensure an efficient, collaborative, and transparent approach to project management.
The Project Planning stage is to establish a solid foundation for the WISEflow onboarding project. In this phase, we collect and validate information needed to prepare for a successful implementation of WISEflow. The focus is on aligning expectations and plans between the Customer Project Team and UNIwise and gain mutual understanding of the work required to successfully deliver the project.
The graphic provides an overview of the main activities in the Project Planning Phase.
Kick-off meeting
The main activity in this phase is the kick-off meeting. It marks the official handover of the customer contact from our Sales Department to the Customer Success Department, where the Onboarding Expert sits. In the Onboarding Kick-off, we will go through the institution’s short and long term goals for implementing WISEflow, settle the implementation plan and key milestones, elaborate on the training plan and introduce the communication tool used during the onboarding project.
The Project Planning phase initiates the long-term collaboration between the customer and UNIwise’s Customer Success Department who will accompany the customer from onboarding of WISEflow and into Business as Usual.
The following section describes a typical Onboarding phase, but we expect to work in an iterative and collaborative way with the customer to make sure institutional processes are taken into account during the implementation of WISEflow.
WISEflow configuration and system integration
As the first activity in the onboarding phase, the customer’s project team will meet with a WISEflow Technical Expert to handover the WISEflow licence. By handing over the licence this early in the process, the customer can start exploring WISEflow and try out the functions and features from the beginning.
The Technical Expert will share a survey with the customer to fill out during the meeting. That will include information needed to setup the licence with the appropriate settings and roles that reflect the institution’s processes. As examples this includes defining a default language and custom marking scales on the licence, adding the Licence Administrators and making sure the relevant flow-types are activated on the licence.
The licence is set up with institution branding and a unique URL that users at the institution use to log in to WISEflow.
This meeting also includes consultancy on system integration. The Technical Expert will provide an overview of the extensive WISEflow API that can help the customer achieve a seamless integration of WISEflow in the customer’s system landscape. This includes an introduction to our LTI integration as well, which will enable the customer to integrate with LMS/VLE platforms used by the institution. Finally, this session will help the customer choose the appropriate authentication method and similarity configuration.
WISEflow training
Following the licence setup, the training sessions and regular project team meetings are scheduled. This section will elaborate the two main training options, we offer. The following section will introduce how we run the regular project team meetings.
UNIwise offers two different training options depending on the institution’s preference:
- Option 1: eLeaning & consultancy sessions
- Option 2: Four training sessions
Both training options cover the four themes that introduce important roles in WISEflow:
- Licence Administration and Support
- Managing / Invigilation: Exam Scheduling
- Authoring: Content & Assessment creation
- Marking & Reviewing: Assessors/Reviewers
Our proven training packages are both designed to support the Train the Trainer model. The institution should identify who are the relevant employees to take part in the training and to become the institution’s trainers responsible for training super users in the institution after the implementation phase is finalised.
To make sure all trainers make the most of the sessions, we recommend a maximum of 15 participants for both training options. We encourage trainers to collect questions prior to the training sessions from a larger group of colleagues which will then be covered during the session. Furthermore, the sessions can be recorded, which allows for circulation to relevant colleagues. The eLearning courses are available for all institutional staff to make use of.
Throughout the training phase, we review ongoing needs to determine how additional sessions need to be tailored to ensure the institution can successfully complete its first WISEflow assessments. Additional sessions can be commissioned should the need arise.
First training option: eLearning courses and consultancy sessions
The default training This training option utilizes a mixture of eLearning courses and consultancy sessions which allows for a time flexible and yet in-depth learning experience.
The eLearning courses are grouped into four categories that match the training themes mentioned above.
Once trainers have accessed and assimilated the eLearning content of a specific course in their own pace, the Onboarding Expert will deliver the customised consultancy session (approximately 1,5 hours each) that is designed to offer a free space that are planned according to the institution’s specific processes. It allows for the exploration of functionality with the institution’s assessment processes in mind.
The WISEflow Service Centre and eLearning platform compliment each other. The eLearning courses provide an understanding of the various concepts behind WISEflow’s functionality, or ‘The Why’. The relevant service articles dig down deeper to provide the ‘How to’ i.e., instructions on how to use the described functionality.
Second training option: Four training sessions
As an alternative to the eLearning training option mentioned above, we also offer the possibility of four training sessions where the Onboarding Expert guides the core trainer team through the four main roles of WISEflow mentioned above.
These sessions are normally between 1-3 hours each. They are run as regular workshops where the Onboarding Expert demos important functionality relevant for the different roles tailored to the institution’s assessment practices.
Project team meetings
In addition to training sessions, the Onboarding Expert offers recurring project meetings with the Customer Project Team who lead the implementation project at the institution. The project team meetings are to make sure that the project runs as set out in the kick-off meeting. I.e. does the timeline still hold? Are we on track with the key milestones? Does the training meet the needs of the institution etc.
It is in these meetings, we track the progress of the onboarding project and discuss mitigation strategies for possible problems that might arise. The project team meetings are scheduled throughout the entire onboarding phase to make sure the institution is well prepared to conduct the first WISEflow exam.
WISEflow Add-ons
Finally, if it has not been decided prior to the onboarding phase, we can discuss which extra functionality is needed to make sure the platform meets the needs of the institution’s various assessment practices. WISEflow offers a range of add-ons that cater for specific assessment needs.
Some examples are listed below:
- WISEflow Device Monitor which monitors the participant’s screen and process list during an exam
- Facial comparison & voice detection which are features that help identify if it is the same person sitting the entire exam
- Two-way chat functionality in partnership with Comm100 offering an online chat function for participants and invigilators
- Similarity service UNIwise offers its own similarity service Originality and WISEflow integrates with other third-party providers as well
The add-ons listed above are available upon request. Dependent upon the licence the institution has they might come with an additional charge.
Insights & Community
Besides training and project team meetings, UNIwise offer a great variety of services that can help the institution learn even more about WISEflow’s current and new functionalities. Furthermore, the institution is invited into a wide international community of HEIs who meet for an annual conference and national user group meetings.
Both during and after the Onboarding phase the institution will have access to a range of Customer Success activities and resources:
WISEcon
A two-day event hosted annually by UNIwise, bringing together people who are passionate about learning technology across all levels of higher education, from the Exams Office to the Pro-Vice Chancellor’s office, to share their knowledge and experience. Part of WISEcon can be used used for national user group meetings where it is possible to network and share knowledge with HEI institutions from the same country/region.
WISEflow Release communication
UNIwise provides free of charge release communication for each release both prior to the release and release videos after each release to introduce users of WISEflow to the new or improved features on the platform. On SYCAmore, UNIwise provide a thematic roadmap of the development themes we are focusing in the coming period along witg an overview of feature releases (previous and next).
WISEflow Webinar Series
To help to get the most value out of WISEflow, our Customer Success Department run a series of free-to-attend webinars and workshops throughout the year.
WISEflow Knowledgebase
Our Service Centre is available to all users with an introductory guide to WISEflow and a comprehensive Knowledgebase with articles on how to use features on the platform.
WISEflow eLearning
WISEflow eLearning is a separate learning resource available free of charge to everyone. It aims to help newcomers to WISEflow, understand the main principles and concepts of the platform, with links to relevant Service Centre articles that give greater detail on how to achieve the desired outcome. Insert link to eLearning platform
Using the wealth of experience from other similar-scale initiatives throughout Europe, all activities in the onboarding phase are designed to prepare the institution’s project team to plan and conduct their first WISEflow assessment or examination.
Members of UNIwise’s Customer Success Department will liaise closely with the institution’s project team to support the planning and delivery of the first scheduled assessments. UNIwise will be available through the communication platform used in the onboarding phase and the Customer Support to assist the institution through this important step in the implementation of WISEflow. Both onsite and online real-time assistance can be acquired for high-stakes exams for an additional cost.
This phase signifies the completion of the deliverables for the onboarding phase of WISEflow. The project will be evaluated upon completion. To mark the end of the onboarding phase, a transition meeting will be scheduled between the institution’s project team, the WISEflow Onboarding Expert and a Customer Success Manager/Account Manager, who will follow the institution into the Business As Usual phase and the continued use or further roll out of WISEflow.
Besides a thorough evaluation of the onboarding process, we will explain how our Customer Support works and agree on the continued engagement between the institution and UNIwise going forward.