Abstract
This paper argues that the viva voce should be given renewed consideration in law schools as a core assessment and learning tool, particularly in the light of the educational transformations brought on by and following the Covid-19 pandemic. We present the results of qualitative feedback from students in two undergraduate LLB subjects that employ a viva voce assessment. After contextualising student criticisms emerging from this data, we discuss the pedagogical values that appeared as themes from the data: learning and assessment, professional development and engagement/connectedness. We conclude with our reflections on this feedback, ultimately discussing how these values support a timely argument for the viva as an engaging and authentic assessment practice, which is particularly well suited for the teaching challenges brought on by the increased prevalence of online delivery modes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 442–468 |
Number of pages | 27 |
Journal | Law Teacher |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- authentic assessment
- online learning
- oral assessment
- student engagement
- Viva voce