Oral Exams: a meaningful and authentic way of assessing student learning in the age of AI

The rapid and growing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into a wide range of software tools has led to concerns about its appropriate use in learning. In higher education, these conversations have broadly focused on teaching students about GAI , establishing suitable, context-specific GAI use policies, at both the course and assignment-level , and considering GAI’s impact on both teaching and learning practices, including what assignment design and maintaining academic integrity might look like as GAI continues to be integrated into educational and mainstream tools. In response to this current landscape, many educators are taking the time to step back and redesign their assessments with GAI in mind by either incorporating it into their assignments or by conceiving of tasks that deter students from using GAI .

Among the assessment types that educators are incorporating in their courses to contend with students’ potential reliance on GAI tools are oral exams. A commonplace practice in certain disciplines (e.g., world languages), oral exams are a way of both connecting with students and directly assessing their understanding of course concepts.

Why use oral exams?
Numerous benefits of oral exams have been reported by both students and instructors. Oral exams provide an authentic assessment experience, replicating professional settings in which one has to reason through a process or problem, thus familiarizing students with the skills required to verbally explain a concept to peers ( Theobold, 2021 ). Similarly, they support students in developing and honing oral communication skills, a competency highly emphasized by (future) employers but oftentimes secondary, or even neglected, in a number of courses ( Bayley et al., 2026 ).

Additionally, oral exams are an opportunity to better gauge learners’ understanding of and/or misconceptions about key course concepts, by allowing instructors to “see the thinking process” ( Pemantle, 2025 ), especially when following up with questions that require students to clarify their answers. While students generally describe oral exams as a more useful way to ensure engagement with the course material compared to written assessments ( Delson et al., 2022 ), instructors may also find oral exams as an avenue to connect with students more directly and spend less overall time on grading (Pemantle, 2025).

How to use oral exams?
Oral exams can be implemented effectively in both small and large classes as part of your assessment plan when certain considerations are taken into account:

• Provide students with practice opportunities before the oral exam. Getting students familiarized with both the format and the task is essential to building their confidence and lowering their stress and anxiety. Practice opportunities may include recorded videos, discussions, or even mock oral exams.

• Determine the format and structure you want the oral exam to take. How long will the oral exam take?  Will you be meeting students in person or online? If in person, where will you be meeting them? Your office? The classroom? Will you provide the questions ahead of time or expect students to prepare most of the content and spontaneously answer any course-related questions?  

• Assign exam time slots ahead of time and plan for contingencies. Determine whether students will individually sign up for exam time slots or if you will assign those to them – if the context (class size, students’ and your availability) permits. Will there be a cut-off date by which students need to sign up? What will the consequences be if students don’t do so? How will you accommodate students who have an emergency the day of the oral exam? Instructors who incorporate oral exams in their courses report that it is best to have a deadline for students to sign up for time slots, so that students don’t forget to do so ( Chambliss, 2026 ; Pemantle, 2025).

• Consider what interactions you expect for the oral exam. Think about what the oral exam will actually look like. Will you allow students preparation time after sharing the question(s) with them? (How much time?) Will you limit yourself to asking students only the exam question(s) or will you delve deeper and ask follow-up questions? Instructors using oral exams in their courses generally report the benefits of probing, clarifying questions to better determine students’ conceptual understanding (Pemantle, 2025; Theobold et al., 2021); however, that may not be appropriate if you decide to conduct the oral exam in an asynchronous manner (Bayley et al., 2026).

• Ensure consistent and equitable grading. Use a rubric to evaluate students during their oral exams. Sharing the rubric with students ahead of time will also allow them to know what is expected during the examination, making the assessment both more transparent and less stressful.

• Provide feedback to students as part of the assessment cycle. How will feedback be provided to your students? Will you be the only one providing it? Will there be a self-assessment or reflection component as part of the exam? Meaningful and targeted instructor feedback has been found to have the strongest impact on long-term performance outcomes ( Stephenson et al., 2025 ), so consider returning the rubric with comments on students’ current performance and the steps they need to take to improve.

• Include self-reflection to support student metacognition. Alongside the feedback you provide students, encourage them to reflect on their performance as well. Students’ self-reflection is essential to building metacognitive awareness and guiding them through their learning.

• Consider students’ different levels of comfort with oral examinations. As with other assessment types, students may experience stress and anxiety related to oral exams. Incorporate strategies that ease student anxiety and build confidence, such as providing practice opportunities with targeted and constructive feedback, and making student reflection a part of the oral assessment design.

• Be mindful of students’ diverse needs. As you are crafting and integrating the oral exam into your assessment plan, recognize the diversity of student experiences and needs in your classroom and consider ways through which all your students can participate meaningfully and equitably. Maybe this means including some time for students to organize their thoughts at the beginning of their allotted time slot or allowing them to bring a pre-approved sheet with information that can jog their memory.

Ultimately, being intentional about the design and structure of your oral exams will allow you to promote authentic assessments and model inclusive and equitable teaching practices that benefit all students.