Oral vivas in final year assessment

Trevor SimperSenior Lecturer SBSext: 3978t.simper@shu.ac.uk

Why? 30 minutes speaking = 3 hours writing? students positive comments about the

'reality and relevancy' employability/interview/presentation

skills

Comparison of oral viva with written exam http://

www.academicjournals.org/err/abstracts/abstract2010/Aug/Simper.htm

How we train the students for the viva regular practice sessions with feedback

on performance

on a scale from 1 to 10...

use observer/client/professional scenarios

What's good? impact on students potential for employability how they see the relevancy of this

assessment

Challenges takes two days (and two tutors) to run

the assessment

i.e. to run the vivas and then make a review of recordings for second marking

more anxiety provoking?

Comments from the students, comparing written to oral assessments

'you are not going to meet an employer and say: here's an essay!'

'It's a much more life-like situation'

'There is someone to talk back at you- in a written paper if you don't know it- you just sit there, but here you prompt me that's a lot better'