Oral examinations are making a resurgence in American universities as educators seek more authentic assessments of student learning. Chris Schaffer, a professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University, has implemented an oral defense format following written assignments, which prohibits the use of laptops, chatbots, or any written materials. Instead, students are required to articulate their thought processes and the rationale behind their work directly to the instructor.
This shift comes as many institutions find that while students can produce nearly flawless written assignments, they often struggle to explain their own reasoning and understanding. The challenge extends beyond concerns about the use of AI tools like ChatGPT; it raises fundamental questions about the depth of students' learning.
For instance, NYU Stern School of Business is experimenting with a voice AI assistant to administer exams, indicating a trend toward innovative assessment methods. The future of education may not involve a complete prohibition of AI but rather a reimagined approach to validating students' original work and their comprehension of it.
The necessity of oral exams is a topic of ongoing discussion: proponents argue that they provide a genuine measure of understanding, while critics see them as outdated practices that belong to the past.
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