It all started with increasing requests from our teachers, asking us if there were any platforms that could help reduce admin time and provide a safe and cheat-proof test environment.
We had been a 1:1 school for some time and there was a test tool in the current LMS platform we used. However, the test tool did not provide a lockdown of the screens, so the digital test ended up claiming more attention from teachers rather than facilitating for them.
It all started with increasing requests from our teachers, asking us if there was any platforms that could help reduce admin time and provide a safe and cheat proof test environment.
I really reacted on the clean interface and the features that responded well to our demands. What really stood out to me was the company’s customer orientation, I would always get my questions answered promptly. It didn’t seem to me that Digiexam just counted us as another customer, they were flexible and keen on making it work for us and our specific environment. After the personal workshop, they kept delivering service and support to meet our needs.
At Ystad High School we didn’t set out to look for products to compare. We started out by deciding what we wished for in a product, in terms of features, price, scalability, etc. For us, it was important that the platform was hardware independent and non-web-based so we can change computers without altering the exam platform, had collaborative possibilities, was user friendly and had an offline mode. We set up a team of teachers responsible to spread knowledge about Digiexam and to help out with questions from colleagues. I was the implementation responsible in our organization. My recommendation is to have a post-workshop strategy to be sure the product continues to be used, there must be a routine to loop in new teachers that start after implementation.
The implementation was successful and efficient mostly due to two things. The first being that a majority of our teachers really wanted to use Digiexam, and second that we have a responsible individual for implementation and setting routines. Because of this, new staff members can also start using Digiexam easily. At our school, the students want to use Digiexam and expect us to as well.
The big difference is that Digiexam has made our exams even more cheat-proof, it also made it easier for teachers from different competence areas to work closer together. In the sense that they can now share their exams and plan courses with each other in a more efficient way. We see a big difference for our PE teachers, they are now working and sharing more of their competencies. In the long run the impact does not just effect our school. The digitization of exams can reach further and promote collaboration between schools and municipalities.
The big difference is that Digiexam has made our exams even more cheat-proof, it also made it easier for teachers from different competence areas to work closer together.
The next step for us is to work even more with cloud services, federated identity and safety. We also strive to make our education more “alive” by implementing digital tools and systems, to get more connected with the outside world.