Track 1: Session 08
Wed, Apr 22
|Streamyard
Title: AI Broke Traditional Assessment. Enter Oral Exams — With AI Speaker: Dr. Bivin Sadler—Director, MS Data Science, Southern Methodist University
Time & Location
Apr 22, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM PDT
Streamyard
About the Event
Description:
This talk examines how generative AI has disrupted traditional assessment by making it increasingly difficult to determine what students truly know and can do. Drawing on classroom evidence from university statistics courses, Dr. Bivin Sadler shows how oral exams offer a powerful alternative by requiring students to explain, defend, and apply their thinking in real time. The session highlights the return of the viva voce as an authentic, adaptive, and highly effective method for assessing genuine understanding.
The talk also explores how AI can become part of the solution rather than just the problem. By combining oral assessment with an AI-supported platform, instructors can scale personalized questioning, provide targeted feedback, and promote deeper learning without sacrificing rigor. Attendees will see how this approach not only addresses academic integrity concerns, but also helps students build confidence, communication skills, and durable knowledge that transfers beyond the classroom.