Oral presentations

One student presenting to two other students

What can oral presentations assess?

The key questions to consider include:

what will be assessed?
who will be assessing?

This form of assessment places the emphasis on students’ capacity to arrange and present information in a clear, coherent and effective way’ rather than on their capacity to find relevant information and sources. However, as noted above, it could be used to assess both.

Oral presentations, depending on the task set, can be particularly useful in assessing:

knowledge skills and critical analysis
applied problem-solving abilities
ability to research and prepare persuasive arguments
ability to generate and synthesise ideas
ability to communicate effectively
ability to present information clearly and concisely
ability to present information to an audience with appropriate use of visual and technical aids
time management
interpersonal and group skills.

When using this method you are likely to aim to assess a combination of the above to the extent specified by the learning outcomes. It is also important that all aspects being assessed are reflected in the marking criteria.

In the case of group presentation you might also assess:

level of contribution to the group
ability to contribute without dominating
ability to maintain a clear role within the group.

See the Group workLink opens in a new window section for further guidance.

As with all of the methods described in this resource, it is important to ensure that the students are clear about what they expected to do and understand the criteria that will be used to asses them. (See van Ginkel et al, 2017, for a useful case study.)

What alternative assessment methods can I choose?

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Design

Oral presentations are a form of assessment that calls on students to use the spoken word to express their knowledge and understanding of a topic. It allows capture of not only the research that the students have done but also a range of cognitive and transferable skills.

Although the use of oral presentations is increasingly common in higher education some students might not be familiar with this form of assessment. It is important therefore to provide opportunities to discuss expectations and practice in a safe environment, for example by building short presentation activities with discussion and feedback into class time. The video below outlines the main types of presentations.

Download video transcript

Key considerations

Individual or group

It is not uncommon to assess group presentations. If you are opting for this format:

will you assess outcome or process, or both?
how will you distribute tasks and allocate marks?
will group members contribute to the assessment by reporting group process?

Peers

Assessed oral presentations are often performed before a peer audience - either in-person or online. It is important to consider what role the peers will play and to ensure they are fully aware of expectations, ground rules and etiquette whether presentations take place online or on campus:

will the presentation be peer assessed? If so how will you ensure everyone has a deep understanding of the criteria?
will peers be required to interact during the presentation?
will peers be required to ask questions after the presentation?
what preparation will peers need to be able to perform their role?
how will the presence and behaviour of peers impact on the assessment?
how will you ensure equality of opportunities for students who are asked fewer/more/easier/harder questions by peers?

Space

Hounsell and McCune (2001) note the importance of the physical setting and layout as one of the conditions which can impact on students’ performance; it is therefore advisable to offer students the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the space in which the presentations will take place and to agree layout of the space in advance.

Good practice

As a summary to the ideas above, Pickford and Brown (2006, p.65) list good practice, based on a number of case studies integrated in their text, which includes:

make explicit the purpose and assessment criteria
use the audience to contribute to the assessment process
record [audio / video] presentations for self-assessment and reflection (you may have to do this for QA purposes anyway)
keep presentations short
consider bringing in externals from commerce / industry (to add authenticity)
consider banning notes / audio visual aids (this may help if AI-generated/enhanced scripts run counter to intended learning outcomes)
encourage students to engage in formative practice with peers (including formative practice of giving feedback)
use a single presentation to assess synoptically; linking several parts / modules of the course
give immediate oral feedback
link back to the learning outcomes that the presentation is assessing; process or product.

Neumann in Havemann and Sherman (eds., 2017) provides a useful case study in chapter 19: Student Presentations at a Distance, and Grange & Enriquez in chapter 22: Moving from an Assessed Presentation during Class Time to a Video-based Assessment in a Spanish Culture Module.

Diversity & inclusion

Some students might feel more comfortable or be better able to express themselves orally than in writing, and vice versa. Others might have particular difficulties expressing themselves verbally, due for example to hearing or speech impediments, anxiety, personality, or language abilities. As with any other form of assessment, it is important to be aware of elements that potentially put some students at a disadvantage and consider solutions that benefit all students.

There is guidance available to support all students to succeed with oral presentations. See for example, the open access guide 'Supporting Students who Stammer in Higher Education' (2021)Link opens in a new window.

Academic integrity

Student and staff experience

Benefits

Oral presentations provide a useful opportunity for students to practice skills which are required in the world of work. Through the process of preparing for an oral presentation, students can develop their ability to synthesise information and present to an audience. To improve authenticity the assessment might involve the use of an actual audience, realistic timeframes for preparation, collaboration between students and be situated in realistic contexts, which might include the use of AI tools.

Challenges

It is important to remember that the stress of presenting information to a public audience might put some students at a disadvantage. Similarly non-native speakers might perceive language as an additional barrier. AI may reduce some of these challenges, but it will be important to ensure equal access to these tools to avoid disadvantaging students. Discussing criteria and expectations with your students, providing a clear structure, ensuring opportunities to practice and receive feedback will benefit all students.

Some disadvantages of oral presentations include:

anxiety - students might feel anxious about this type of assessment and this might impact on their performance
time - oral assessment can be time consuming both in terms of student preparation and performance
time - to develop skill in designing slides if they are required; we cannot assume knowledge of PowerPoint etc.
lack of anonymity and potential bias on the part of markers.

Workload

From a student perspective preparing for an oral presentation can be time consuming, especially if the presentation is supported by slides or a poster which also require careful design.

From a teacher’s point of view, presentations are generally assessed on the spot and feedback is immediate, which reduces marking time. It is therefore essential to have clearly defined marking criteria which help assessors to focus on the intended learning outcomes rather than simply on presentation style.

References

Havemann, L and Sherman, S. (2017). Assessment, Feedback and Technology: Contexts and Case Studies in Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury Learning Environment, London

Hounsell and McCune (2001). Making the most of oral presentations by undergraduates. Paper presented to ILTAC 2001 conference.

Pickford, R & Brown, S. (2006). Assessing Skills and Practice. Key Guides for Effective Teaching in Higher Education. Routledge Falmer.

STAMMA/Stammerers Through University Consultancy/London South Bank University (2021). Supporting Students Who Stammer in Higher Education. London South Bank University. https://doi.org/10.18744/lsbu.8wz98

van Ginkel, S., Laurentzen, R., Mulder M., Mononen A., Kyttä, and J, Kortelainen, M.J. (2017). Assessing oral presentation performance: Designing a rubric and testing its validity with an expert group. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 9 (3), 474-486.

Useful resources

Tsang, A. (2020). Enhancing learners’ awareness of oral presentation (delivery) skills in the context of self-regulated learning. Active Learning in Higher Education,21(1), 39–50.Link opens in a new window