Oral Exams in Shift to Remote Learning
Mihaela Sabin, Karen H. Jin, Adrienne Smith
Abstract
In this experience report paper we present our experience with the development of oral assessments as final examinations in three introductory computing courses. The choice of this type of summative assessment was prompted by the emergency remote instruction instituted in the middle of the Spring 2020 semester, across colleges and universities in the U.S., due to the coronavirus pandemic. The principles that guided our oral assessment design were: to develop a more comprehensive measure of student competence and mitigate exam cheating; to facilitate communication and workplace skills through student-teacher interaction; and to alleviate negative emotions associated with traditional summative assessments.