17th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies - EDULEARN25, Palma de Mallorca (Spain). 30 June - 02 July 2025
Summary:
Oral examinations are rare in engineering education, despite their potential to encourage essential communication skills in students, so much required in modern working environments. This paper explores the implementation of oral assessments in two modules—Electrical Machines (EM) and Electrical Installations in Industrial Facilities (EIIF)—taught at undergraduate and master’s levels respectively. Two distinct formats were applied: individual oral safety assessments in laboratory sessions for EM, and group-based oral evaluations linked to project work in EIIF. In both cases, students were required to articulate technical knowledge under pressure, with no support material.
The results indicate that oral exams reveal deeper levels of understanding, encourage preparation, and challenge students to structure and communicate their ideas clearly. However, several challenges were also identified, including student anxiety, significant time requirements, and concerns about grading subjectivity—particularly in open-ended design tasks. In this paper, recommendations to address these issues are also proposed and justified.
Spanish layman's summary:
Este estudio analiza el uso de exámenes orales en dos asignaturas de ingeniería como herramienta para desarrollar habilidades de razonamiento y comunicación en tiempo real. Al requerir que los estudiantes expliquen y defiendan conceptos en voz alta, estas evaluaciones permiten detectar lagunas de conocimiento que a menudo pasan desapercibidas en pruebas escritas. A pesar de la incomodidad inicial, los estudiantes reconocen su valor a largo plazo, y el artículo propone recomendaciones para su integración más amplia en la educación en ingeniería.
English layman's summary:
This study examines the use of oral exams in two engineering courses to help students develop real-time reasoning and communication skills. By requiring students to explain and defend concepts aloud, these assessments reveal gaps in understanding often missed in written tests. Despite initial discomfort, students recognize their long-term value, and the paper offers recommendations for their broader integration into engineering education.
Keywords: Oral examination, communication skill, engineering program.
DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2025.1449
Published in: EDULEARN25 Proceedings: 17th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies Palma, Spain. 30 June-2 July, 2025., pp: 5884-5891, ISBN: 978-84-09-74218-9
Publication date: 02-Jul-2025.
Citation:
A. Ortega, F. Fernández-Bernal, "Reintroducing Oral Exams in Engineering Education: Challenging Students' Communication Habits", presented at 17th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies - EDULEARN25, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 30 June - 02 July 2025. In: EDULEARN25 Proceedings: 17th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies Palma, Spain. 30 June-2 July, 2025., pp. 5884-5891, doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2025.1449
IIT-25-122C
