2. Facilitating IOAs
An Interactive Oral Assessment (IOA) is an authentic assessment approach that involves a genuine, unscripted conversation between an assessor and a student(s) framed around a workplace scenario (Sotiriadou et al., 2020).
Zoom or F2F: Be aware that IOAs via Zoom will not be considered a secured assessment at the University of Sydney.
Booking a space to conduct the IOA: Consider student access to the room. If it is in your office, down a long corridor, where entry uses security passes you will need to frequently get up to let the next student in. A small meeting room where students can sit nearby is a good option. Reserve the meeting room early as rooms can be limited.
- Moderating session: If there are multiple markers, schedule a time slot on the first day where you all mark several IOAs during a three-hour session, then meet to discuss your grading and agree on marking protocols.
- Timing: Tutors should discuss and agree with the coordinator when they will have time to do the IOAs. The coordinator advises if the IOA will occur F2F or online and will book demeanour rooms. Tutors’ availability for marking may impact which week the IOA is scheduled.
- Booking system: Understand which booking system will be used, for example, Microsoft Bookings, Canvas Calendar, a shared spreadsheet. If using multiple markers, ensure there is a mechanism for exchanging markers in case of misadventure.
- Study the IOA scenario and rubric carefully to understand the role you and the student are playing and the scenario that frames the conversation. Students and teachers report that having a video or in-class briefing on the assessment, marking rubric, and an exemple Interactive Oral is highly beneficial.
- Stay neutral but warm and welcoming just as you would be in a workplace meeting to make the student feel comfortable. Think about how you can provide a consistent and experience for all students.
- Notetaking: think through how you will take notes (on paper or laptop) during the IOA.
- Will you mark directly into the LMS (e.g. a Canvas Rubric) during the IOA or after the IOA?
- Aim to get the marking completed before moving to the next IOA. FOr example, you may schedule 30-minute blocks which involve 20 minutes with the students and 10 minutes marking time before the next student arrives.
- Marking: sequence your prompts and rubric criteria so there is a logical flow to the conversation. Before the student enters, open up your LMS, find the student and their related assessment (if relevant), and jot down some notes on points/topics you may wish to prompt the student on.
- Recording the session: You are required to record the session even if it is face-to-face for moderation and appeals purposes.
- Start the recording after citing the students ID (if necessary).
- Recordings should be held for six months to comply with most university protocols.
- Ensure your microphone and camera are on (but the student microphone is muted if they are also on Zoom) as you will be recording on your computer.
- One recording per IOA session ‘block’ may reduce workload i.e. you see six students in three hours, and rather than having six individual Zoom recordings you may choose to have one but pause the recording between each IOA, taking note of the time stamp and sequence of students talking.
Post IOA
- Identify students who failed the IOA and consider if their recording needs to marked by a second person. If so, share the Zoom link to the session.
- Reflect and discuss as a marking team how the process could be improved for next time.
IO Assessment 