Oral Assessment from the Learner's Perspective: The Experience of Oral Assessment in Post-compulsory Education

Oral assessment of student learning has a long history in tertiary education, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and features in examinations for entry into many professions. Despite its ubiquity, little is known about how oral assessment is experienced from the student?s perspective. Based on intensive student interviews, this book presents contrasting ways in which one common form of oral assessment ? the oral class presentation ? can be experienced by students. Students who saw presentations as persuasive arguments found their assessment to be intensely engaging ? they prepared thoroughly, interacted vigorously with their audience, and developed complex understandings of their topic. The study shows that oral assessment, if conducted in the right way, can be significantly richer and more personally engaging than written assignments. The book therefore offers important insights into the nature and function of oral assessment and will be of interest to any university or college teacher seeking to use oral forms of assessment to evaluate their students? learning while promoting deep approaches to that learning.

Gordon Joughin, PhD, studied higher education at the University of New England and Griffith University. He has worked in several universities in Australia and Hong Kong and is currently Coordinator of Academic Development at the University of Wollongong, Australia.