Using Oral Examination as a Technique To Assess Student Understanding and Teaching Effectiveness

This paper discusses the use of oral examinations to assess student understanding in a general chemistry course and in an advanced inorganic chemistry course. Examination design, administration, and grading are explored, as well as the benefits to both instructors and students. Students react positively to the oral examination format and generally perform at a higher level than on written examinations over the same material. The oral examination format is discussed in terms of the interactive compensatory model of learning.