Assessing students' knowledge: oral exams vs. written tests

ABSTRACT

The evaluation of students' knowledge is undeniably a very important aspect in the process of education. Two of the most commonly used assessment methods are oral exams and written tests. In the USA in Computer Science Education the preference is generally given to written tests. Although convenient in many ways and effective for many subjects, written tests do not always provide correct evaluation of students' knowledge when it comes to theoretical subjects. In this paper we concentrate on theoretical courses of Computer Science. For these courses we conclude that an oral exam is a better evaluation method; we analyze the challenges instructors face when preparing and grading written tests, we discuss the problems students encounter when taking written tests, and we show the advantages of oral exams over written tests. However, we do not overlook some concerns with oral exams; we talk about these issues and advise the examiner to be aware and considerate of them.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

General Terms:
Human Factors, Measurement, Performance, Theory

Keywords:
oral exam, student assessment, written exam