Oral exams have been around for centuries, and more recently have become popular in Norway, with students having to take them in junior and high school. Now, with the emergence of AI chatbots and the convenience of online exams, it is worth considering whether universities should return to oral exams in the age of AI powered chatbots.
In the past, oral exams were the preferred way of evaluating students’ knowledge and skills. In the 10th century, oral assessment was an essential tool in the development of Muslim law and medicine. At the medieval University of Paris in the 13th century, students defended their knowledge in the ritual of a public oral defence before receiving their degree.
However, in the 1700s, written exams took over as the preferred way of evaluating students. Academics at the time considered written exams more efficient, with the opportunity to numerically grade each student individually.
Now, researchers like Stephen Dobson at CQUniversity in Australia are calling for universities to embrace oral exams once again. They argue that oral exams offer students the opportunity to explain and clarify their knowledge and understanding, which is not always possible with written exams. They also suggest that oral exams make sense in an educational context and can be conducted honestly and efficiently. In addition, they assure integrity, reliability and authenticity due to the difficulty of actual AI chatbot replicating conversations.
In our digital age, universities may find that oral exams are the perfect balance between convenience and assessment. For universities, this could mean lower staffing costs and less time marking. For students, this could mean a better, more efficient assessment of their skills and knowledge. As Ken Purnell suggests, they could be asked to create and share reflective journals, which chatbots will not be able to replicate.
At the end of the day, oral exams have been around for centuries and have been proven to have educational value. It may be time for universities to move away from purely written examinations, and return to the viva of days gone by.
