Oral Exams in Online Courses

Hrm. No doubt my observations are colored by my context; I teach in a graduate professional program. I am, this very week, in the midst of an oral assessment of my students' understanding in an online class in research design. We are using Skype. Period. Nothing fancy. And it means it is a SYNCHRONOUS experience, i.e., a real time dialogue, rather than a serial "question and (student generated) oral response." We use Skype rather than the phone, because I can drag and drop material into the chat window, as can the student, or I can add another person to the call if we are doing a group debrief on a project.

In my humble opinion, the point of having an oral assessment is to be able to have an open-ended dialogue on course topics. I am confused by the point of having students pick up a prerecorded question from a pool of such questions, and then respond, in the absence of a teacher, orally. What's the difference between that and a written exam, save the substitution of the spoken for the written word? And a grading rubric while you listen? I am confused by the desire to automate and distance what should be an intimate and interactive experience, especially in a context that is already distant and automated (e.g., through interfaces such as Blackboard).

I find the synchronous discussions powerful for both myself and the students involved. I can probe for understanding, and where there are misunderstandings, I can immediately engage with the student to alleviate his/her confusion. I've done this with two very different classes. In one case, the research design case, we discuss a paper they have written. In the other case, a class on learning theory, I gave them a prompt ahead of time. FYI here it is:

Wed, Feb 20, 2008 -- Midterm Scenario
**you can have notes, books, the net, friends, food, whatever, but bring earphones**

Vygotsky and Dewey walk into your workplace for a tour. They spend half the day walking around with you. That afternoon, they ask to see how you help people to do their work better. The question is: "What do they and you talk about and how do they see it?"

The next day they ask you about the things they have seen in the world of emerging technology. They want you to explain how this stuff works to help people learn, but explain in their terms so they can understand. Finally, they wonder why the emerging technology isn't really all that apparent in your workplace, and you get to explain why.

I could record the conference if I wished to, but in my case I don't. ANd I could use a rubric I'd built and shared with the students already, if I were so inclined. I read the product description in the initial posting here and I see a revenue stream for a company. I don't see advantages for me or my students beyond what is already available practically free.