Oral Assessment Criteria
Oral assessment is an increasingly important part of the range of assessment methods used in the School of History. It is intended to accustom students both to participating in group discussions and, particularly at honours level, to giving more formal oral presentations. It thus complements and extends the skills acquired through written exercises such as essays by emphasising the importance of developing techniques of oral communication.
Two types of oral assessment are undertaken within the School:
Oral Contributions to Tutorials and Seminars Oral Presentations
Oral Contributions to Tutorials and Seminars
The following criteria are applied when assessing general oral contributions to classes:
- Coherence: clear and audible speech; development of argument in clear steps; consideration of possible counter-arguments.
- Relevance: focus on the points at issue, avoiding wandering from the subject at hand; use of pertinent examples.
- Conciseness: making points with appropriate brevity.
- Awareness of others: a good oral contributor does not dominate proceedings, but contributes to the generation of discussion between the various members of the class.
- Maintenance of interest: enthusiasm for subject; appropriate level of detail; engagement with other members of the class.
- Answering questions: understanding the question and answering directly.
- Raising questions: seeing issues raised by discussion; clarity of formulation of questions; relating them to statements made by other members of class.
- Awareness of historical issues: consideration of relationship with key themes of course; capacity to show how specific topic fits in with wider historical area.
- Awareness of historiographical issues: mastery of secondary literature; awareness of any relevant debates; contextualisation of any original ideas being put forward.
- Relating to other relevant topics: issues of comparison, including those beyond the focus of the course.
- Accuracy: factual accuracy.
Oral Presentations
The following criteria are applied when assessing oral presentations in classes:
- Delivery: clarity and audibility; variety of tone; engagement with audience.
- Coherence of presentation and argument: concise and informative introduction and conclusion; clear sign-posting of what is being said; ensuring that listeners have sufficient background; logical order to sections and development of argument in clear steps; consideration of possible counter-arguments; appropriate balance of argument and information; good time-keeping.
- Handouts and visual aids: a clearly produced handout, summarising key points; use of other appropriate handouts, e.g., of documents, and other visual aids, e.g. slides, or use of powerpoint, where appropriate.
- Interest and learning value: enthusiasm for subject; stimulation of ideas; appropriate level of detail; increasing knowledge and understanding of the field of the presentation.
- Accuracy and choice of information: factual accuracy; appropriateness of examples; use of unusual examples; capacity to argue from examples.
- Awareness of historical issues and any historiographical issues: capacity to show how specific topic fits in with wider historical area; consideration of relationship with key themes of the course; issues of comparison, including those beyond the focus of the course; mastery of secondary literature; consideration of any relevant debates; contextualisation of any original ideas being put forward.
- Questions and discussion: presentation pitched at a level and in a way that generates discussion; understanding questions asked by class, rephrasing where necessary; direct answers to questions; conciseness; honesty.