Jeff Boulton
THE ORAL EXAM
Woah. Wait a minute. Are you crazy?
THE PROFESSIONAL JOB INTERVIEW
(It’s an oral exam…)
NO, I’M NOT CRAZY.
THE SUMMATIVE:
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Personal skills profile
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Studying
Demonstrate research skills
Timeline
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Understanding of career and
educational paths
Job application
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Given process, types of questions,
sample answers
Specific preparation
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Receive one, pick one
Begin to prepare
Exemplars of interview
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Community involvement
Research and prep work
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Understanding of self
Understanding of required skills
Feedback/outside opinion
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THE EXAM:
Apply summative results
Conduct Interviews
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One on one, no notes
Question draw out course content
Specified time, location, and limit
During class or exam block
SO, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
The goal is: you evaluate their learning, and they learn an invaluable life skill in the process!
(Translation: this sounds like more work.)
(Also can be translated as: this sounds dumb.)
WHY WOULD I WANT TO DO THIS?
GIVEN THAT:
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Exam time is busy
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Have oodles of marking
Have to post online now too
No time to remake anything
Should be emphasizing higher
level thinking skills
Authentic tasks
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THIS FINAL 30%
More relevant
More interesting and fun
Lend themselves to higher level
thinking skills
Saves you time!
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Is easy to make and mark
Is IMPOSSIBLE to cheat on!
Has already been made for you
Emphasizes analysis,
articulation, and application
Is a simulation that’s
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WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS!
A realistic, necessary life skill
Engaging and interactive
Simultaneously requires the use of
all a student’s skills
GIVEN THAT:
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You need to accommodate
special learners
THIS FINAL 30%
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Allows simple flexible
accommodation for all
The interviewer can:
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Repeat questions
Ask questions in a different way
Clarify question
Alter the time duration
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For questions
For the entire interview
Have unclear responses explained
Provides students with the
maximum opportunity to be
successful under conditions
suitable to them
WHY YOU WANT TO DO THIS!
I KNOW, YOU’RE THINKING:
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I need an examination
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In a controlled environment
With time limits
That tests course content
Doesn’t prepare them for
University
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WELL,
Yes, they don’t do this stuff
Well, it’s not that important, waste
of time
More important skills
They have 60% exams
Won’t prepare them for Uni
STILL NOT CONVINCED?
It is an examination
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It is; it’s one on one
It’s got ‘em
It does
Are you completely sure about
that?
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They do now
80-90% graduate with an offer;
92% of grads placed for summer
Top skills demanded are used
Not as much any more
84% of us have no degree
WOULD YOU RATHER:
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Write up a brand new
assignment?
Modify your exam for each new
semester?
Spend 20 minutes marking a
student’s work?
Have to mark at home on your
own time?
Sit for several hours in an exam
setting?
CONSIDER THIS…
OR WOULD YOU RATHER:
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Use the one included with the
outline?
Never really need to modify it
ever again?
Spend 20 minutes with the
student?
Mark in the interview during
your work day?
Be finished with this course on
the last day of classes?
Think about it
Highest degree attained for Canadians 15 and older.
Statistics Canada. Available online October 5, 2006 at
http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/educ42.htm
Class of 2005 Final Employment Results.
Queen’s School of Business. Available online October 5, 2006 at:
http://business.queensu.ca/careers/docs/October2005FinalEmploymentResults.pdf
2005 HBA Summer Employment Statistics.
Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. Available online October
5, 2006 at:
http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/recruiter/Reports/HBA2005summerNEW.htm
Employability Skills 2000+
Conference Board of Canada. Available online October 5, 2006 at
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/learning-tools/pdfs/esp2000.pdf
REFERENCES