Oral assessment and oral assessment combined with a written assignment/a product is described briefly in this table with additional information below.
Methods of assessment | Pros | Cons | How to practice during the module |
|---|---|---|---|
Focus on communication skills - relevant as a generic skill (authentic) Allows for follow-up questions to test deep understanding Preparation time for examiner can be kept minimal | Difficult to assess all students equally - especially with many students Dependent on students’ ability to stay calm under pressure Hard to test many elements from the curriculum simultaneously and all learning goals | Presentations (in class or online in Blackboard/LMS) with feedback from instructor and/or peers Other students can be actively involved in class/online (opponents, asking questions, peer assessment, etc.) | |
Students give a presentation individually or in groups with or without other students as audience | Students works in-depth with one element of the curriculum Focus on communication skills - relevant as a generic skill (authentic) Preparation time for examiner can be kept minimal The assessment can be performed in regular class hours | Hard to allocate topics of equal difficulty to students Hard to test many elements from the curriculum simultaneously and all learning goals With series of student presentations there is a risk that other students become bored and inactive | Presentations (in class or online in Blackboard/LMS) with feedback from instructor and/or peers Other students can be actively involved in class/online (opponents, asking questions, peer assessment, etc.) |
Can be used to ensure that the student is the author of the written product The multimodal assessment format gives students a fair chance to demonstrate their learning Focus on communication skills - relevant as a generic skill (authentic) | Time-consuming to assess oral performance and product The weight assigned to written product vs. presentation should be clearly communicated | Small oral and written assignments/activities preferably in combination | |
In the classical oral exam the student draws a question from a question bank and answers this with or without preparation time and/or aids.
The type of questions (e.g. open or closed) and the type of response (reproducing, reflecting or discussing) used in the exam will influence the knowledge and skills tested. The examiner has the opportunity to explore the answers of the student or to open a dialogue. Providing preparation time to students will reduce stress during the exam.
Oral assessment based on previously prepared work can be used to ensure students actually did the previously prepared work and to give students a higher degree of ownership.
Smaller oral presentations (e.g. uploaded on Blackboard) during the module where students receive constructive feedback from peers, teaching assistants and/or lecturer can replace parts of a final exam. Students will be able to apply the previous feedback at the final exam.
Read more about oral assessment in LETH ANDERSEN, H. and TOFTESKOV, J., (2016), chapter 7 (only in Danish).
