I’ve been giving oral exams for the final three years. In my bigger lower-division (freshman and sophomores) course, I meet with every pupil over Zoom for five minutes at a midterm after which a ultimate examination. I rigorously schedule every pupil and distribute the schedules and zoom data nicely prematurely. I file the classes. I put together a standardized set of questions for every day of the examination, however change the questions every day. I sort the exams (and solutions) out and print out a replica and put the scholar’s identify on the high of the web page. Throughout the examination, I make numerous marks on this web page (plusses, minuses, test marks, Xs, and so forth.). I additionally put a provisional grade (like A, B, C, D, F) on the backside of the web page. After all of the exams are finished, I grade them in alphabetical order and report these grades to all the scholars on the similar time. (I don’t present them the marked up pages with my notes.) The questions are generally True/False, generally “fill within the clean”, generally descriptive (e.g. clarify Aristotle’s definition of the soul), generally comparative (e.g. evaluate Callicles’ view of need with Epicurus’), generally evaluative (e.g. do you suppose Epicurus or Epictetus has a greater view about justice, and why). Relying on the scholar’s solutions, I could ask clarificatory or factual questions or, then again, extra open-ended invites to dialogue.
What surprises me most about this technique of grading is how a lot simpler it’s to determine whether or not the scholar has truly finished the studying, whether or not the scholar has given any thought to the studying, and whether or not the scholar has any clever ideas concerning the studying. I discovered that with written exams, college students may use mere linguistic competence to jot down one thing down that appears to deserve at the least partial credit score, even when it isn’t clear that they actually have learn, considered, or had any clever ideas concerning the studying. The pretense of getting learn one thing that you just haven’t truly learn appears to vanish if you find yourself talking on to somebody you possibly can interrupt and ask for clarification, examples, or textual references. The issue talked about above about “intelligent college students who can suppose on their toes” appears to me a a lot greater drawback if you find yourself coping with a frozen block of their writing than when you’ll be able to cross-examine them on the spot about what they’re saying.
By the best way, 5 minutes of steady interplay with a single pupil seems to afford extra alternative for questioning than it may appear at first look. On common I can ask 3-7 questions, and in some circumstances add follow-up questions. Typically factor get slowed down and fewer than that is doable. However I’ve not discovered that there’s a giant benefit to, for instance, doubling the time of the examination. (I began out with 10-minute exams, however ultimately decreased them to 5-minute exams).
As for pupil nervousness, I discover you could cut back that by making ready them prematurely with examples of the sorts of questions you’ll ask, and actually make it a observe all alongside to debate simply all these questions within the class throughout lecture. Additionally, ask them if they might be much less nervous writing a three-hour examination or talking concerning the materials in a five-minute examination. I’ve had solely optimistic reactions to the oral examination in pupil evaluations, and I’ve by no means had a grade dispute (though I’ve had one request for an evidence of why a sure grade was acquired).
In my upper-division (junior and senior) course which is restricted to philosophy majors, there’s a analysis mission which entails writing a proposal and a number of other drafts. On the finish there’s a “ultimate analysis convention” at which every pupil presents the outcomes of their analysis earlier than your complete class for five minutes, adopted by 5 minutes of questions or dialogue. Right here once more weak pupil analysis turns into apparent (generally painfully apparent), however general college students appear motivated to work more durable understanding that they need to discuss their analysis in entrance of different college students and myself, and should have the ability to reply questions on it coming from each their friends and me.
Typically, I really feel loads higher about using oral examinations than I did about written examinations. Because the creator of the NYT suggests, there’s something conventional and healthful about educating philosophy with oral exams. The sort of philosophy that Socrates practiced appears to have consisted of getting along with a bunch of children and analyzing their ideas concerning the virtues. I start to surprise why we ever obtained away so removed from this and obtained caught with the concept that we must always consider their means to jot down Montaignesque essays.
