Newsletter May 2023: Oral group exams

Recently, a colleague from a Danish university reported that 41% of all ECTS at his own university were examined with some sort of take-home assignment in 2022. Similar practices are likely to be common in other Danish universities too. It is widely accepted that all exam formats have strengths and weaknesses, advantages, and disadvantages, and that they complement each other. It therefore makes good sense that section 12 of the Examinations Order on Exam and Test Formats states: "The programme must include a variety of exam and test formats that reflect the content and working methods of the teaching".

Written take-home assignments is clearly perceived as a good match in many contexts, but this exam format has notable disadvantages and weaknesses. One of the major drawbacks is the feasibility of this exam format. It is very resource-intensive to assess larger written products - especially in larger programmes. In some cases, the resource requirements of marking such asignments can be a real threat to the delivery and development of teaching. One of the biggest weaknesses of the format is the lack of test security, which makes it very easy to cheat and very challenging to detect and combat cheating. Technological advancements have resulted in a reality where assignments are easily bought on the internet (contract cheating), or designed by artificial intelligence free of charge.

Take-home assignments may still be relevant as an in-course learning activity, especially if followed up formative feedback from the teacher or fellow students, but perhaps the time has come in many a teaching context to replace the take-home assignment exams with other, safer formats (e.g. on-site written tests or oral exams)? In some exam contexts, it might make good sense to replace the take-home assignment with an oral group exam.

Oral group examination is characterized by oral interactions between examinees and assessors. The examination may involve assessments of oral answers to questions, or of presentations (e.g. presentations of synopses or projects). But oral group examination can also consist of assessment of examinees' interactions with other examinees (e.g. in a debate or negotiation situation). In Table 1, some advantages of oral group examinations are highlighted.

Students are notoriously pre-occupied with exam requirements, so the choice of an exam format which is congruent with learning objectives and learning activities in a course can have beneficial 'washback' effects on participation in teaching and learning activities, and thus on students’ learning. It will likely be perceived as even more meaningful, relevant, and binding by many students to participate in face-to-face teaching activities such as group discussions, when the course is concluded with an examination of corresponding activities. In many work contexts, it is also important for academics to be able to assert themselves in oral debates or in oral negotiation situations. Therefore, exam forms that support such competencies can also complement and strengthen the employability of academics.

Literature

• Buehler, M. J., & Schneider, L. U. (2009). Speak up! Oral examinations and political science. Journal of Political Science Education, 5(4), 315-331. 
• Joughin, G. (2010). A short guide to oral assessment. Leeds Met Press in association with University of Wollongong. 
• Sotiriadou, P., Logan, D., Daly, A., & Guest, R. (2020). The role of authentic assessment to preserve academic integrity and promote skill development and employability. Studies in Higher Education, 45(11), 2132-2148.