🎓 Oral Exams Are Making a Comeback at U.S. Universities

"You can't just coast through an oral exam with the help of AI," says Chris Schaffer, a professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University. He introduced an oral defense format after written assignments: no laptops, no chatbots, no paper—the student simply has to explain to the instructor what they did and why.

American universities are increasingly returning to in-person knowledge checks. Students submit nearly perfect essays and solutions, but they can't always explain their own work. The issue isn't just whether a student used ChatGPT—it's whether they actually learned anything at all.

ℹ️ For example, NYU Stern School of Business is already testing a voice AI assistant that administers exams to students.

💡 The next stage of education may not be a total ban on AI, but a new way of verifying authorship and understanding: can a student defend the work they turned in?

Are oral exams necessary?

❤️ — Yes, it's a real test
🔥 — No, it's a relic of the past