From Innovation to Inclusion: How UNIS Hanoi Leverages Wayground for IB Learning

An International School Navigating Real-World Challenges

United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi) serves a highly diverse student body representing more than 65 nationalities. As an IB World School with strong inclusion practices and a commitment to rigorous assessment, UNIS Hanoi continuously looks for tools that support engagement, accessibility, and authentic exam preparation.

In a year marked by typhoons (including, seven distance learning days) international conferences, and student travel for global events, maintaining instructional continuity has been critical. Even in a demanding context, Wayground has supported instruction across the school.

As one school leader shared “Wayground is one of our core endorsed apps. It has a nice balance of gamification while still centering the learning.”
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From Exam Simulation to Authentic IB Practice

At UNIS Hanoi, Wayground is more than a quiz tool. It supports authentic IB preparation.

Language teachers have been particularly innovative, building structured tasks that mirror the IB Internal Oral:

• Students engage with text in the target language
• Listen to audio instructions
• Analyze a visual stimulus
• Respond within timed conditions

While perfectly replicating the IB structure remains complex, teachers report strong success when using Wayground for structured practice. The platform enables students to rehearse authentic assessment formats without requiring multiple tools.

One suggested enhancement from teachers: Separate timers for “thinking time” and “response time,” reflecting IB’s structured format (for example, 60 seconds to prepare and 90 seconds to respond). This level of detail reflects how deeply Wayground is embedded into assessment design at UNIS Hanoi.
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Engagement Without Cognitive Overload

One of the most consistent impacts has been engagement without unnecessary complexity.

Wayground allows teachers to:

• Run quick formative checks
• Embed questions inside full lessons
• Collect multimedia and audio responses
• Monitor understanding in real time

Because UNIS Hanoi integrates Wayground with Toddle, instead of navigating multiple apps and task-switching between systems, students remain within a familiar environment. This reduces unnecessary cognitive load and allows them to focus on learning rather than logistics.

When digital citizenship lessons shifted to asynchronous delivery, Wayground was used for exit tickets. More than 80% of students completed the assessment and some even requested retakes to improve their performance.

That level of voluntary engagement reflects both clarity and motivation.
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Inclusion as a Core Design Principle

UNIS Hanoi supports a higher-than-average percentage of students with learning differences.

Wayground’s flexibility supports this inclusive culture through:

• Language translation tools
• Adjustable timing and pacing
• Multimedia response options
• Flexible hosting modes

Teachers can upload PDFs, translate instructions, and adapt assessments to better support individual learners. Teachers note that accommodations are powerful but sometimes underutilized due to time constraints. The recently introduced centralized accommodations dashboard allowing learning support teams to set adjustments across classes has strong potential to streamline this process. The philosophy is clear: If personalization is sustainable, it becomes powerful.

Balancing Gamification With Academic Rigor

Students enjoy interactive elements. Teachers appreciate instructional control.

Some educators prefer streamlined, non-gamified modes for quick instructional checks embedded within lesson flow. Others use interactive features to increase motivation during review or practice.

Compared to purely game-based tools, teachers describe Wayground as offering:

• Meaningful engagement
• Data-informed instruction
• Accessibility features
• Brain-aligned design principles

Other platforms may be used occasionally as rewards, but Wayground remains the primary instructional assessment tool.

Empowering Teachers and Students as Creators

UNIS Hanoi also uses Wayground for professional development. Entire teacher workshops have been hosted inside Wayground lessons, allowing teachers to experience the platform as learners.

Additionally, students are encouraged to build quizzes themselves. Teachers use this for:

• Student-created assessments
• Study group rotations
• Station-based learning activities

For example, students create five-question quizzes on their area of expertise, and peers rotate through stations to complete them. This transforms assessment into a collaborative learning experience

UNIS Hanoi demonstrates how a thoughtful implementation of digital assessment can move beyond engagement alone, even amid typhoons and tight schedules, learning has remained rigorous, responsive, and connected.