Abstract
ABSTRACTWhile traditionally the viva voce examination had a central role in student assessment it fell out of favour as higher education expanded. This paper describes the development of a digital video viva examination to promote a more authentic and lower stakes method of assessment for students in their final under-graduate module. The paper presents a case study using a module from pre-registration nursing but the approach could be useful for other practice based and vocational disciplines in the health sciences, social work and business management and law. The paper describes the challenges of developing a truly authentic assessment when faced with academic requirements of the programme. The problems of video assessment include broadband speeds and file sharing are discussed. The authors were able to develop a lower stakes assessment with students on average recording and re-recording their viva submission 3.41 times and rehearsing it 3.67 times.
Highlights
The viva voce, or oral examination played a central role in the assessment of learning outcomes, with its multiplicity of purposes applied to such programmes as clinical dentistry, medical studies and social sciences to name but a few (Kehm, 2001; Mandus, Russell, & Higgins, 2009)
The results suggest that the new digital viva assessment has successfully moved the end of programme assessment from a high-stakes to a lower stakes assessment allowing students to rehearse, record and re-record their viva rather than having a single high stakes performance on a single day
The implementation of the digital viva was not without its problems not least those related to the handling of MP4 files and the uploading of the file for assessment
Summary
With the advent of a new curriculum and a shift towards an all graduate programme, an innovative approach was required in relation to the end of programme assessment This provided the opportunity for change in terms of aligning the assessment to employer-based, real-world requirements and asking students to demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills. The digital viva enables the student to develop their self-awareness in terms of how their current knowledge, skills and experience fits with the role they are applying for This is achieved through a process of reflecting on what they have learnt during the course and how this fits with what an employer is looking for in a newly qualified registered nurse
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