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Teaching in Engineering Education

Innovative Assessment

Assessing Internship and Industrial Placement

Please cite as follows: Chan, CKY (2015). "Assessing Internship and Industrial Placement", Engineering Education Enhancement and Research Asia (E3R Asia).

Viva Voce/Oral Presentation

What is Viva Voce/Oral Presentation?

Viva voce or oral presentation is rarely a standalone assessment and it is often used to accompany other assessments such as a dissertation, a report, a poster presentation, a portfolio etc. In a viva voce, students demonstrate not only their understanding and knowledge of their internship/placement outcomes, but also their ability to effectively communicate their ideas to a group of audience. It is also common that the student’s presentation is followed by a discussion section, where the supervisor may ask questions and the student needs to respond and defend any presented materials.

Examples

Example 1:  Internship/Placement at the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano

An oral presentation is employed as a dissertation defence task in the internship/placement courses at The Free University of Bozen/Bolzano (n.d.). The dissertation defence is public and it consists of a 10-minute oral presentation of the dissertation completed by the student and a discussion on the student’s presentation and dissertation. Students are allowed to incorporate the use of slides in their oral presentation.

Example 2:  Internship at the Université Catholique de Lille

In their internship course, Université Catholique de Lille (2011) employs viva voce as an oral examination in addition to students’ completion of internship/placement and a written report. Students are expected to present the content of their internship/placement experiences, to defend their presentation and perspectives. The viva voce lasts 45 minutes and includes 20 minutes of interview with the jury. At the end of the viva voce, the jury's president comments on the presented work according to the following:

  • Presentation of the company's strategies;
  • Definition of the company’s missions and actions;
  • Students’ reflections on the project;
  • Debate with the jury.

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