An oral assessment asks a student to explain what they know in their own voice. It is one of the oldest forms of evidence in education and one of the hardest to scale: a ten-minute viva for 120 students is twenty hours of scheduled meetings.
Vivipod makes oral assessment asynchronous. The instructor posts a prompt; each student records a short explanation, defense, or reflection when they are ready; the instructor reviews with feedback tied to a moment in the video and asks a follow-up in a comment. No scheduling, no proctoring, and the evidence is the student's reasoning.
This page explains how the tool supports that workflow. For the assessment design itself, read asynchronous oral assessments in the age of AI.
Table of Contents
What an Asynchronous Oral Assessment Looks Like
- Prompt — a Topic with one clear task: "Defend the method you chose in section two," "Explain this concept to a first-year," "Critique this result."
- Response — a recording of 90 seconds to 5 minutes. Students can talk to camera, annotate a worked example, or walk through their own document on screen, and switch between those mid-recording.
- Private review — set the Topic to visible after review. Responses stay pending until the instructor approves them, so the class does not see a response before you do. Keep them pending if the assessment is individual.
- Feedback — turn on comments for the Topic; the switch is off by default, and students cannot reply without it. Comment on the response while it is still pending and anchor the comment to the timestamp where the reasoning went right or wrong. A pending post is visible only to its author and to space admins, so the exchange stays between the two of you.
- Follow-up — ask one question in the same thread. The student is notified and can reply there. A second turn is the cheapest integrity check there is, and it doubles as formative feedback. See comments and feedback.
Five Patterns That Work
These are drawn from the oral assessment guide, which has prompts and rubric language for each.
| Pattern | Prompt shape | Typical limit |
|---|---|---|
| Defend one decision | "Why did you choose X over Y in your paper?" | 90 seconds |
| Explain one concept | "Teach this idea to someone who missed class." | 2 minutes |
| Critique evidence | "What is the weakest part of this argument?" | 2 minutes |
| Reflect on a revision | "What changed between draft one and two, and why?" | 90 seconds |
| Demonstrate and transfer | "Apply the method to this new case on screen." | 3 to 5 minutes |
Pairing any of these with a written assignment is covered in add a 90-second oral defense to written work.
A Recorder Built for Explanation
Most video tools capture a talking head. Explanation needs more.
- Draw while recording — annotate a problem, a diagram, or a quotation.
- Screen + camera — show the document and the student at once, or switch between them mid-take.
- Pause and resume — gather a thought without restarting.
- Retake and drafts — students can re-record before they upload, and drafts survive a closed tab.
- No install — runs in the browser on laptops, Chromebooks, and phones.
Students who are anxious on camera can answer over a screen or a sketch. The reasoning is the evidence, not the face.
Keeping the Workload Bounded
| Lever | What to set |
|---|---|
| Recording limit | Match the rubric. Ninety seconds is enough to defend one decision. |
| One task per prompt | Multi-part prompts produce long, unfocused answers. |
| Rubric with three criteria | Accuracy, reasoning, and use of the student's own work. |
| Sample the second turn | Reply to every response; reply to a follow-up only where the first answer was unclear. |
| Grade the Topic as a set | Review in one sitting. Timestamped comments make the notes reusable. |
A class of 120 with 90-second responses is about three hours of viewing, spread across the week rather than booked into a calendar.
Integrity Without Surveillance
Vivipod does not detect AI or proctor students. It changes what is being assessed. A student can draft a script with any tool they like; they still have to explain their own choices, on their own work, and answer a follow-up they did not see coming.
That is a better position than an arms race with detectors, and it is the one described in the best response to AI is a more human course.
Access and Fairness
- Students choose camera, screen, or sketch.
- Recording limits and retakes are the same for everyone; extended time is a matter of changing the Topic limit for a section or a student.
- Responses can stay pending so no student's assessment is visible to peers.
- Works without an app install, on shared devices, and on mobile.
Pricing for a Pilot
The free plan runs a full oral assessment cycle: 3 Spaces, unlimited Topics and participants, 90-second recordings, and timestamped comments, with no card. Plus raises the limit to 5-minute recordings and 10 Spaces, and only the Space owner needs it. See pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vivipod an oral exam platform?
It is an asynchronous oral assessment tool. It does not schedule live exams or proctor them. Students record short explanations on their own time and the instructor reviews and follows up asynchronously.
Can responses be kept private from other students?
Yes. Set the Topic to visible after review and leave responses pending. Only the instructor and Space admins see pending posts.
How long should a response be?
Ninety seconds to two minutes for a single decision or concept. Up to five minutes for a demonstration. Shorter limits produce clearer answers and less grading.
Does this work in a large lecture course?
Yes. Keep the limit short, use one task per prompt, and sample follow-ups. The oral assessment guide walks through the workload math.
What about accommodations?
The recording limit is set per Topic, so give students who need longer a Topic of their own with a longer limit rather than raising it for the whole class. Students can retake as many times as they want before they upload, and they can respond over a screen share or a sketch instead of on camera.
Run One Oral Defense This Term
Attach a 90-second "defend one decision" Topic to your next written assignment. Review responses in one sitting and ask one follow-up question each. That is the whole pilot.