A Multi-Institutional Assessment of Oral Exams in Software Courses

Oral exams are an inviting alternative to traditional paper-and-pencil exams. However, they are largely under-utilized in computer science education. In this report, we describe our design for comprehensive final oral exams in five software engineering class sections, across two different small institutions. We present our exam format and our subjective assessment of the exam format in assessing student knowledge as instructors. We also gather quantitative and qualitative data from student surveys. We surveyed students before and after the oral exam to assess their perceptions of it, including their predicted grade and their subjective opinions and experiences. Our work shows evidence that oral exams are effective and practical mechanisms for software engineering classes of a smaller size (approximately 20 students). Student survey responses indicated favorable feedback for our oral exam format; students viewed oral exams as a good assessment of their knowledge and useful beyond that individual class.