1. Gordon Joughin, The University of Queensland, Australia
Plato versus AHELO: The nature and role of the spoken word in assessing and promoting learning.
Gordon Joughin, The University of Queensland, Australia
Barbara Ischinger Director Directorate for Education and Skills

2. Déroulement Context A short story: Explorations in orality
Orality examined
‘Secondary orality’? 2

3. The learner learning The Conversational Framework (Laurillard) Tuition
thinking,
being supported,
acting
Listening/ Reading
Guidance
Articulating ideas TC
Tuition
Discussion LC LC OC
Asking Questions
Concepts
Others’ ideas
Producing
Adaptation
Reflection
Working to a goal
Feedback
Action plans
Preparing Outputs TP
Practice LP LP
Collaboration OP
Investigating
Others’ Outputs
Revising
The Conversational Framework (Laurillard)

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6. Deep approaches to learning
Surface approach
Intention
To understand
To complete the task
Structure
Holistic
Atomistic
Focus
Underlying meaning of the task
The surface of the task: words, sentences, product
Learning by
Relating & organising
Memorising
Learning is ..
A window into reality
Separate from everyday reality
Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge.

7. U = V x R x C x I x A x F
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8. Viva the viva!
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9. Law students on the ‘viva’
“In a written assignment you can remain quite remote from what you write.”
“ …I’ll just write some kind of rubbish, whether it relates to the topic or not. But in the viva you know you’re going to look a fool so you make sure you know what you are saying.”
“In an exam you’re just a number but the viva’s personalised and you’re in direct contact with the people who assess you.”

10. Theology students: Purpose
“ the whole process was to try to explain it to other people”
“ I tried to be really certain that I knew what I was talking about”
“I’ve really wanted to convince people”

11. “ I tried to be really certain that I knew what I was talking about”
“ It’s your way of trying to define meaning or to interpret the things happening around you.”
“You take a line and you stick to it.”
“you’ve got to really understand it because if someone asks you a question …”
“it’s really a battle between me and them”
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12. “I was dreadfully nervous.” “It’s directly associated with you.”
Fear and loathing in OA
“I was dreadfully nervous.”
“It’s directly associated with you.”
“When it’s verbal, people often take it as an attack.”
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13. Comparison with written assessment
Intention
Content
Interaction
Audience
Feelings
Comparison with written assessment
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14. Oral assessment as richer
‘Tom’
More preparation
More personal
More understanding
More learning
More ownership
‘David’
More authentic
Higher quality learning
Deeper engagement
‘Mary’
More understanding
More work
Greater responsibility
Intention
Content
Interaction
Feelings
Audience
Comparison with written assessment

16. Feelings Students were NOT asked about their feelings.
Every student commented on this aspect of their experience.

17. Feelings approaching the viva
“The unknown is a bit stressful; really stressful”
“Pretty nerve-wracking – you never know if they’re going to ask you the one question that you don’t know. .. it’s your last exam and after this you’re a vet ... heightened sense of arousal”
I’m happy with it. I don’t really particularly get overly nervous or stressed out.
Nerve-wracking – 8; nervous – 4; stressful – 1; scary – 2; less stressful than written exams – 1; happy – 1;
No student reported nervousness as affecting their performance during the viva.
Many students commenting on the relaxing and supportive environment of the viva itself.
Anxiety seems to be associated with a number of aspects of the viva: the presence of the examiners; the extent to which questions cannot be predicted; the anticipation of probing; a fear of appearing foolish.

18. The interviews explored the influence of assessment on learning.
The ‘mechanics’ of preparing:
I read my notes.... I talked to other students .... The Facebook phenomenon

19. Does the viva improve learning?
“... in exams, they get you to remember a specific list of something, and so you just rote learn it. You don’t understand it. Whereas a viva is more, understanding.”
“I try and make it clinically relevant, because my brain doesn't work by remembering. It's like what I said, I like working backwards. If I start just trying to learn everything, I don't retain my knowledge.”
“... it's mostly rote learning and making lists; lists are fun.”
13/17 described what might be considered appropriate approaches to learning for the long term – developing connections; actively applying material to cases; questioning one’s own understanding; explicitly rejecting memorising.
3 described clearly surface approaches to learning – covering as much content as possible and focusing on memorising.
Many contrasted their approach to the viva and to written exams.
Note: the role of the pictures as a focus; anticipating future practice;
“That’s most of what the study comes from – just the ‘what if’. “

20. Written vs oral
“I feel like it's a more reasonable assessment of my ability as a clinician”
“The viva lets you explain more and then they can ask more questions”
“the written exams - you can hide”.
“(the written exam) It's not really training you to think. I suppose it's just training you to tell.”
Quote 13 at length
Near universal endorsement of the viva as a superior form of assessment. Only 1 interviewee preferred the written exam.
Reasons: more authentic; a better test of what they know; the ability to clarify understanding - or both questions and responses; speaking aids understanding

21. The viva as a rite of passage
“I think it's been a verification for me that I am going to be able to be a vet next year, in terms of speaking to people, looking at something, explaining. I think it's been quite - it's a validation.”

22. The Vet Viva: Assessors’ perspectives
Probing
Assessing thinking
Clarifying
Adapting
Confirming
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23. Summing up
Deep approaches Engagement Anxiety Interaction Audience Uncertainty Confrontation Authenticity Learning Judging
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24. A word from our sponsor!
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25. Orality
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26. The psychodynamics of orality: Ong
Dabar!
Writing separates the knower from the known.
Orality is the sphere of controversy and aggression.
The spoken word proceeds from the human interior and shows us as human.
Speaker and hearer are fully present.

27. “Writing restructures consciousness”
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28. Collaboration, Contextualisation and Communication Using New Media:
Introducing Podcasting into an Undergraduate Chemistry Class
Emma Bartle, Nancy Longneckerb, Mark Pegrumc
International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 19(1), 16-28, 2011.
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29. Talking about chemistry with other people – get a different perspective of the topic from other people
The main advantage was the research that was put in – I found I understood the topic more after doing the research and taking the time to understand it.
The podcasting assignment encouraged us to take a more active role in studying our topic and reinforced the main ideas of the topic.
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30. “I just stumbled upon the most awesome podcast
“I just stumbled upon the most awesome podcast! Check out Wed 2-5 lab group, Alum4 AB; it will seriously be worth your 3 minutes!”
This post received a reply: “Yeah big respect to this one…takes an uppercut!! Lol”.
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31. Assessment 2: Blog on beliefs about LL
For this blog-based task, you are required to write an academic-style opinion piece about your beliefs about language learning and the use of technologies in your language learning experience. ...
You also should utilise the affordances of blog technologies to express your opinions in a multi-modal format (for example, using pictures, links, videos etc).
Your blog will be available for other students to see unless you prefer that only the course coordinator will be able to see your blog
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33. A short guide to oral assessment. LMU
ShortGuideOralAssess1_WEB.pdf
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