Giving voice to women students: designing oral assessments for inclusion and validity

Abstract

Higher education institutions are using more oral assessments as an authentic format that addresses concerns about academic integrity. Interactive oral assessments can test a student’s knowledge, build career skills and promote engagement. However, this shift is problematic as oral assessments have traditionally been viewed as more ‘male-orientated’. Conversely, women have greater public speaking fear, report lower levels of confidence, tend to assess themselves worse and face bias against feminised voices. Assessment is not inclusive if it discriminates against students and brings into question the validity of oral assessments if some students cannot represent their capabilities. This conceptual article makes a distinct contribution, through a review of literature, to offer critical design considerations for oral assessments to be more inclusive and valid for women students. This article focuses on intrapersonal skills and interaction as dimensions that appear to be the most problematic for gender discrimination. Ultimately, it argues that practitioners should design assessments to ensure inclusivity and in doing so, this article recommends affirmative actions towards the validity of oral assessments.