Workshop: Designing and Implementing Oral Exams: How to Make Them Work and How They Can Positively Impact Your Course

The objective of this workshop is to provide participants with evidence-based information and resources on how to implement oral exams in engineering courses to make a positive impact on student learning. Based on results from a three-year NSF-funded research project, we will share the benefits and challenges of implementing oral exams in engineering classes, as well as lessons learned regarding the design and implementation of oral exams. Our goal is to provide participants with tools and resources for consideration when implementing oral exams in their own contexts. In this interactive session, we will: 1) Share findings from a multi-year NSF-funded study on the impact of oral exams that have been implemented in several engineering courses multiple times over the past two years; 2) Describe various oral exam implementation models; 3) Discuss the challenges and benefits of oral exams in different contexts; 4) Review oral exam training modules developed by the team to ensure equity-mindedness when administering oral exams; and 4) Engage participants in small group activities to consider applicability of oral exams in their contexts. Workshop presenters will provide participants with concrete examples of how oral exams can be administered, including guidelines on the types of questions, how to guide interactions with students, how to provide effective feedback, and how these assessments can be used as touch- points for how students are learning in the course. Presenters will also lead participants through a series of questions and small group activities to apply oral exam strategies discussed in the session.