Seven response relations now name what an oral-defence question asks of student work.

When students defend their submitted projects out loud, examiners ask them tough questions. However, researchers lacked a clear vocabulary to connect a specific part of a student's work to the exact type of response a question demands. Earlier systems only looked at nearby factors, such as examiner habits or project sections. To fix this, the author created seven response relationsresponse relationsThe kind of answer a question demands, such as a decision, a reason, or a piece of evidence.. These show how a question links to an artefact, such as asking for a decision and justification, or an assumption and limitation. The system treats the project part and the question type as separate dimensions. It works for plans and finished projects across all academic levels, giving educators a consistent way to describe and compare their oral questions.

Why it matters

Examiners and supervisors in schools and universities can now describe exactly what a defence question demands of a student's submitted work. That makes oral assessments easier to plan, compare, and audit, and gives students a clearer sense of what counts as answering well.

Questions answered