U.S. Universities Turn to Oral Exams Against Artificial Intelligence
Universities in the United States have begun bringing oral exams back to the agenda as students increasingly use artificial intelligence tools for assignments. While faculty members believe that written assignments are no longer sufficient to measure students’ actual learning, they see students’ ability to explain their work face-to-face as a more reliable assessment method.
Prof. Chris Schaffer, who teaches biomedical engineering at Cornell University, asks his students to take part in a one-on-one “oral defense” with instructors after submitting written problem sets. According to Schaffer, students may be able to complete a written assignment with the help of artificial intelligence; however, an oral exam reveals whether they truly understand the subject. For this reason, the oral defense encourages students not only to submit the assignment but also to learn it well enough to explain their work.
The shift toward oral assessment in the age of artificial intelligence is not limited to Cornell. At the University of Pennsylvania, written papers are being assessed together with oral exams in some courses. According to officials at the university’s Center for Teaching and Learning, the institution is experiencing a broader shift toward both written and oral face-to-face assessments. Faculty members state that this method is aimed not only at preventing cheating but also at preserving students’ cognitive skills, creativity, and critical thinking capacities.
At New York University, some faculty members are combining oral assessments with AI-supported tools. Panos Ipeirotis, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business, developed an AI-powered exam system that allows students to orally defend their final projects. The system asks students questions about the project, poses detailed follow-up questions based on their answers, and helps determine whether students truly contributed to the teamwork.
According to experts, oral exams offer an effective way to measure students’ real learning, especially at a time when generative artificial intelligence can make written assignments appear flawless. However, it is also noted that this method may be challenging for shy students or those with high test anxiety. For this reason, teaching experts recommend explaining the oral exam format to students in advance and beginning the exams with easier questions.