HCI Education Conference24 Jan 2011

Nirmala Ong

Eileen Tan-Moh

Edwin Lim

Alternative Modes of Assessment The Oral Defence

Subjects examined by Coursework, Independent Study papers or a written report of self-directed research often include an oral defence.

The Oral Defence is sometimes called a Viva or Oral Presentation

Important elements of the Oral Presentation

Questions posed by the assessors Physical settingPsychological setting Assessor-bias Candidate’s exam stress

Today’s ContentThis session will run like a mini-workshop.

Presentation on physical & psychological setting

Presentation on recommended questioning techniques for the assessor.

Participants to practise the skills and receive immediate feedback from facilitators.

Good Answer Assessor’s Question: In your presentation, you mentioned that Singapore

students should be exposed to information about the battles fought in Singapore such as the Battle for Pasir Panjang. How important was that battle, and what is its relevance to today?

  Bad Answer: Because it showed how brave the people were, and will make

today’s young people appreciate Singapore’s forefathers; it will make young Singaporeans today more loyal .

  Good Answer: It  is important for young people today to know about the battle for

Pasir Panjang because it was a key battle waged by armed, well trained Japanese soldiers against an ill-equipped citizen army. Thinking about the inequality of the situation would create feelings of … in young people today. Our group feels that stirring such emotions is more effective in creating loyalty and patriotism than simply …as in NE lessons today. Since the aim of our project is …

.

General Points about asking Questions:

Relevant to what has been presented Ask a reasonable question and word it in a

comprehensible manner. The question should be concise but not so abrupt that

the student is left in doubt as to what your focus is. The question must be easily understood by students.

You are not there to trip them up.Do not engage in debate or conversation with the

student. For PW OP, do not ask more than 1 question unless the

student did not understand your question.

Question Don’ts…Generic questions on Process, e.g.

What were some of the difficulties your group faced in the course of working on the project?

This type of question seems to elicit a lot of elaboration BUT it does not assess the students’ familiarity with their project.

It could be adequately answered without special knowledge of the subject.

It “traps” the candidate into talking of trivial matters.

Acceptable “process” questionYour group referred to a survey that was carried out.

How was the sample group selected and why?

This question is acceptable because it is: specifically relevant to the research accessible to the candidatesufficiently open-ended to enable elaboration

Question Don’ts…You claim that married men lead healthier lives than

single men. I am married with 2 kids, I don’t exercise and I eat leftovers. How do you reconcile that?

Do not use a word that students may not understand, such as ‘reconcile’.

Do not personalise the question to yourself as it forces the student to give a politically correct or flattering response. The student is cornered into responding to the assessor and not to the question.

What if the candidate did not understand the question?Re-phrase or ask a different question?

Question Don’ts…I recently read an article/ watched a documentary etc

that debunks your group’s whole basis because … How would you persuade someone that your idea is still valid?

You are not there to debate or challenge the whole thesis.

You may ask a more focused question like: “Did you consider the effect of … ?”

What’s wrong with this question?I do not agree with your group’s ideas. As a _______

I happen to know that ___________. As such, your ideas would never work in the real world. How would you defend yourself?

Is this a good question?I really liked your presentation. Please tell me more.

(Some assessors say this after the candidate has already answered a question as they want to engage the candidate in more conversation.)

Other Assessor flawsAsking a question on material the candidate has

already covered thoroughly in the presentation…

Is this good or bad?

Question Do’sLook out for gaps in the speech, or verbal cues that

suggest some information has been left out because of time constraint, e.g.

“We have done a lot of research / work on this. Because of time constraints I shall just touch on 2(or whatever) points…”

Your question:

Question Do’s“Our case study was truly inspiring…

Your question:

Question Do’s“There are a few limitations to our proposal, of

course. The main one is…”

Your question:

Question Do’s“Having examined existing measures to address this problem

and why the desired change has not been forthcoming, we propose (the event/string of activities).”

Possible Assessor Question: You mentioned …How does your plan complement the

existing measures, or are you proposing to replace the existing measures?

OR

Your question:

Question Do’s“Our group believes that more young people should

participate in …(whatever)”

Your question:

Question Do’sOur proposal has many benefits, e.g., young people

will….

Your question:

Question Do’sLook out for gaps in the speech, or verbal cues that

suggest some information has been left out because of time constraint, e.g.

“We have done a lot of research / work on this. Because of time constraints I shall just touch on 2(or whatever) points…”

Your question:

Watch this video…and suggest some questions that could be asked

Get into groups of 3…Each group has been given a different set of

questions.Comment on whether they are good or bad

questions. Justify your evaluation.