Interviews
Oral examinations, also called viva voce, involve a verbal exchange between the student and the assessor.
Advantages
- Interaction between assessor and assessed is possible.
- Video- or audio-recordings enable post interview analysis or record keeping.
- Test qualities not assessed by written tests (verbal fluency, self confidence, ability to argue a point in a discussion).
Disadvantages
- Special skills are required of the examiners, and some training, as for professional interviewers, should be available.
- Reliability is generally low.
- Can be very subjective.
- Create stress which is counter-productive, though this stress can be reduced by letting the student have some say in the questions asked, or by revealing key questions (not follow-up or probe questions) before the examination.
The following commentary is supplied by a user of oral exams in the School of Teacher Education at UTS
Reasons for the use of an oral examination (for English 5)
By the fifth semester of the sequence students have had considerable experience in thinking about literature and in articulating their responses to it. An oral examination at this stage does not make demands upon them which they feel incapable of meeting.
By this stage some students have developed particular areas of interest and are beginning to become independent thinkers about literature. The oral examination gives them an opportunity to take up points and pursue them in a way not always appropriate in a response to a set examination or essay question. (It is always possible to say to a student, in an oral examination: "That is an interesting idea. Would you like to develop it further.")
The oral examination is more demanding because it allows the examiner to probe understanding. Students cannot hide behind a learned opinion or borrowed position. (It is always possible to ask: "Just what exactly do you mean by that? Why do you think that critic says that? What about the position taken by X?")
The oral examination requires students to think on their feet, i.e. to adapt their knowledge and insights to a variety of demands and defend their position. Students in the final semesters of their sequence should be able to perform in this way. At the beginning of their course of study, on the other hand, it is probably sufficient to expect that students will arrive at some understanding and be able to express it.
Form of the oral examination
Each student has a session which lasts approximately twenty minutes.
Students have selected a general topic on which they wish to be examined. e.g. King Lear. Every student who has selected that topic will be asked the same set of questions.
The prepared questions demand a hierarchy of responses. Some are designed simply to establish that the student has a basic, literal knowledge of the topic (e.g. of the events in King Lear). Some are designed to see whether the student has thought about the significance of that knowledge (e.g. "In the source play for King Lear Cordelia does not die. Why do you think Shakespeare modified the story to include her death? How do you see her death in relation to the 'meanings' of the play as you understand them?). Some are designed to encourage students to pursue any particular interests or insights they may have had ("Do you agree with...?" "If you were producing a performance of the play would you...?") and there is always a final question: "Is there anything else you would like to say about this play/topic that we haven't covered?" Some questions are designed to see whether students have related their thoughts about the topic to wider issues (e.g. "King Lear was one of the least often performed of Shakespeare's plays during the nineteenth century. Since World War II it has been one of the most frequently performed and discussed plays. Have you any thoughts about why this might be so?").
If students have difficulty in answering questions some prompt questions are asked. But if the difficulty persists, such that it is apparent that the student does not have sufficient knowledge or understanding to answer the question, we pass on to the next question. It is important, in that situation, to move on without undermining the student's confidence by making it apparent that they have 'failed' a section of the examination.
The examiners
Ideally two or three staff members conduct the exam, sharing the asking of questions, and discussing the student's responses at the conclusion of the examination. In recent years staffing constraints have made this difficult, and sometimes it has not been possible to use additional staff. For this reason the oral examination is never worth more than 40% of the total. Notes are made on the student's responses as the examination proceeds, and a grade is decided before the next student is dealt with.
Assessment
Broad grades rather than precise marks are awarded, but perhaps with a plus or minus modification, which may be taken into account when determining the final, overall result for the subject.
For a pass grade a student needs to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the topic and some considered, but not necessarily subtle or original, views about its significance. For a credit grade a student would need to demonstrate, as well as the above, some understanding of the range of possible views about the topic and be able to defend the personal position which (s)he has adopted. For a distinction grade a student would need to display some understanding of the more subtle issues involved in the topic, and demonstrate some critical thinking about these issues. For a high distinction grade a student would need to demonstrate a superior understanding of the issues involved and some original thinking about them.
Comments
The oral examination is an excellent discriminator. It is readily apparent if students do not have a sound basic understanding of their topic; prepared answers are no defence. Students who have real interest and genuine insights are able to develop these effectively in this context, because the range of questions does not limit them to exploring only one issue or set of related issues.
The oral examination is an opportunity for students to use their oral communication skills in a formal but flexible context.
Although the examination takes a long time to administer there is, of course, minimal 'marking' time required. The size of the group involved has never exceeded thirty students; it would be very difficult, with limited staff, to use this method with large groups.
Surveys of student opinion have elicited favourable comments on the oral examination as a method of assessment. Most students say they found the experience much less threatening than they anticipated, and felt that it gave them an opportunity to demonstrate what they had learned during the semester.
Source: Margery Hourihan, School of Teacher Education.
(Originally published in Trigwell, K. (1992). Information for UTS staff on Assessment. Sydney: UTS Working Party on Assessment).