Online oral examination: Where to find help
Due to the current coronavirus situation, many of this semester’s exams will be held online. Teaching staff and examiners can register for workshops, find guidelines on online oral exams and get good advice from the Centre for Educational Development (CED).
At Aarhus University, online oral exams are held via Zoom. The functions in Zoom allow for students to give presentations, for preparation to take place in a separate room, and for grading to be discussed while the student is temporarily absent from the room, usually by using the “Waiting Room” function.
As in any other exam, the purpose of online oral exams is to test the extent to which the student has achieved the academic goals. However, online oral exams differ from traditional oral exams in a number of ways. At AU Educate, you will find a short list of items that you as a lecturer/examiner should pay attention to before conducting your oral online exams. You should:
- Ensure that meeting rooms in Zoom are created and shared
- Familiarise yourself with the applicable guidelines and know who to contact if problems arise
- Familiarise yourself with the process of an online oral exam
- Test the technical setup, e.g. with a colleague
- Talk through the online exam with the co-examiner
- Balance expectations with the students in advance.
The exam process varies depending on how you use the “Waiting Room”, whether the exam includes a draw, preparation, whether it is an individual or group exam etc. For the process to run as smoothly as possible, it is important that you have tested the functions in Zoom beforehand. In addition, you should make sure that you have a stable internet connection and good audio quality. Find out much more about the online oral exam at AU Educate.
Sign up for a workshop at CED
Teaching staff and examiners can sign up for workshops offered by CED, which go through some of the various elements of oral online exams, such as:
- What you should be aware of before, during and after the exam
- How to create a sense of security in an online exam situation for all participants
- How to use Waiting Room and other Zoom functions in connection with the exam
- How to handle certain elements of the exams, e.g. preparation, alternatives to using a blackboard/whiteboard, or how to draw exam questions.
Sign up for a workshop here: https://ced.au.dk/en/online-exams/workshops-on-online-exam
If you need individual advice or cannot find answers to your didactic or technical questions about how to organise your online exams, you are welcome to contact your usual contacts at CED – just as before the merger. You are also welcome to contact us at ced@au.dk.
Guidelines and good advice
Aarhus University’s website contains a number of resources on online exams for teaching staff as well as students. Teaching staff can find information and guidelines on how to convert exams into digital formats at AU's corona website and can get information and inspiration about online examinations at AU Educate.
Students can read more about the general guidelines for oral exams at AU’s corona website and get good advice on online oral exams at AU Studypedia.