Dr Louise Curham
“It’s great to meet students one-on-one. I get to learn about them and gauge how effective my teaching is. I can also finalise most of the marking on the spot.”
Faculty of Humanities
Overview
Interactive Oral Assessments (IOAs) are structured conversations between students and educators, often simulating authentic professional scenarios, where students must demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a live, face-to-face setting.
Key features
- Lane 1: Secure assessment
- Supported by both in-person and online teaching modes
- Scope for students to participate as individuals, pairs or groups
- Simulates workplace interactions where professionals must respond adaptively to questions and challenges
- Develops communication and collaborative problem-solving skills
- Significantly reduces academic misconduct concerns
How it works
Curtin snapshot
Louise’s example assessment
About my unit: Faculty of Humanities | Under 50 students | Hybrid | Individual work
I designed this IOA assessment as a professional simulation where my students role-play organisational recordkeeping specialists. Students select a contemporary report, protocol, or legislative change and analyse its implications for their chosen organisation’s information governance practices.
Students present their findings to academic staff (simulating line management) through structured oral presentations supported by visual aids. The analysis must address impacts on business systems and organisational workflows, demonstrating critical evaluation and practical application of recordkeeping principles.
To do so, students book IOA sessions in advance via online calendar from study period commencement.
Assessment structure overview
- Professional dialogue (10 mins) – Role-based discussion between student and educator
- Debrief (5 mins) – Reflective feedback on student performance
- Marking and evaluation (15 mins)
My advice
Overall, the IOA allows me to meet and connect with students one-on-one, which is incredibly valuable, especially in an online unit. As some students feel anxious around presentation-style assessments, I recommend providing a list of relevant organisations for students to choose from and allowing them to refer to a deliverable during the conversation. I have found that this provides a good foundation for students and bolsters their confidence.
Suggested marking criteria
Note: Marking criteria and weighting are suggested guidelines. Specific descriptions should be adapted to relevant content and learning objectives.