Introducing oral assessment within creative practice: I can write but it's like walking against the wind

This article traces the origins and development of a new oral assessment for undergraduates within the field of art and design. It examines the roots of a re-modelled viva voce and its specific relevance for students with the specific learning difficulty, dyslexia. An insight is offered into the process of finding a model, responding to appropriate feedback and further sustaining a model which will make a difference.

The viva voce described consists of a one-hour oral examination specified as being an oral presentation for thirty minutes, followed by an oral defence for the same period of time. This oral delivery is in lieu of a written dissertation; it is the culmination of an extended piece of work supported by theory, research methods, analysis and evaluation. It is currently offered to students with dyslexia as an accommodated assessment. Its future lies in its integration as a choice of assessment for students as part of inclusive education.