Assessment in higher education can play a role in awarding gaps, which are differences in outcomes for students based on their academic performance. However, little is known about how assessment type impacts ­different groups of students. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the extent to which assessment type contributes to awarding gaps across…

This study aims to better understand the learning experiences of doctoral examiners in relation to their assessment practices in the PhD viva, which directly impacts the PhD candidates' success in doctoral assessment. A narrative approach was employed to uncover the narratives of learning to examine in the PhD viva from twelve doctoral examiners…

Traditional written examinations in higher education face challenges of authenticity and integrity. This study evaluated interactive oral assessments (IOA) as an alternative to traditional written examinations in bioscience education. Using a mixed-methods approach, data from 722 students across multiple offerings of the course (2009-2023) were…

The issue of English being the lingua franca in transnational higher education remains a debate, especially regarding fairness in doctoral examinations. The current study builds upon a recent publication that proposes examining doctoral students of an Anglophone doctoral program offered on an offshore campus in China to be held in the Chinese…

This study examines students' format-specific expectations and their preferences toward (1) written multiple-choice examinations, (2) written constructed-response examinations, (3) oral examinations, and (4) standardized practical examinations. N = 509 medical students completed a web-based survey, rating all four examination formats. Preferences…

Purpose: This study investigates the mathematics performance of "Orang Asli" pupils across two cognitive domains--Knowing and Applying--using three oral mathematics tests developed in different languages: the academic language ("Bahasa Melayu") (OBM), the academic native language ("Bahasa Semai") (OSL), and the tribal…

This systematic review examines the factors that facilitate student performance in oral assessments at the undergraduate and master's levels across diverse academic disciplines. As higher education increasingly shifts from traditional written assessments to alternative summative methods--partly in response to the rise of generative artificial…

"Viva voce" or oral examinations are an intrinsic part of the examination of many doctoral theses. There is some ambiguity about their purpose; however, they are generally perceived to be an opportunity for the candidate to respond to the examiners' comments and questions. They also allow examiners to assure themselves of the candidate's…

Oral defence is recognised as an important part of doctoral examination and candidate development. Unlike the UK and New Zealand, the Australian examination process does not normally include an end-of-process viva. This paper appraises the views of 20 supervisors and 13 Deans or Directors of Graduate Research from 11 Australian universities as…

An examination of gender-related differential item functioning was conducted on the verbal subtests of the Anadolu-Sak Intelligence Scale. Analyses were conducted using the scale standardization data (N = 4641). A Mantel-Haenszel statistic was used to detect differential item functioning (DIF). A total of 58 verbal analogical reasoning items, 20…

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate doctoral examiners' narratives on their expectations of the candidate's oral performance in the PhD viva. Both the PhD examiners and handbooks that offer advice on the PhD viva preparation appear to share the same expectation of the candidate's oral performance in the viva. That is, candidates must answer…

Compared to their written counterpart, oral assessments provide a wealth of information about student understanding. Instead of deciphering a static response, oral assessments provide instructors the opportunity to probe student explanations, obtaining a more complete picture of their understanding. Moreover, students explaining their conceptual…

Many countries have doctoral viva examinations, mostly conducted in-person until the COVID-19 pandemic. This article explores the changing processes and experiences of doctoral vivas forced online, from the perspectives of three examiners (two Uk, one NZ) and one recent candidate (UK). It sheds light on remote viva examinations exploring…

Educational research has reported different benefits related to the use of practice tests. In the case of the teaching and learning of mathematics, evidence has been found that the use of practice tests is associated with an improved performance in standardized tests. However, it is less known about the emotions that students experience during…

Taking into consideration the unique relational position of convenors (Chairs) in PhD oral examinations, this qualitative study explores insights from 55 convenors at a research-intensive university in New Zealand into the ways academic staff developers can better prepare doctoral supervisors and examiners for oral examinations. One striking…