This is authored by Dr Rabiul Islam | Lecturer in the School of Psychology
Why this mattered
In the Bachelor of Psychology and Graduate Diploma of Psychology programs, students complete a third-year subject, Advanced Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. Around 200 students work with a real research dataset. They develop their own hypotheses, conduct statistical analyses, interpret findings, and communicate results in APA style. To complement the written report, we introduced a 15-minute mini viva as an integrated supervised assessment. The goal was not simply to evaluate what students could write, but to understand what they genuinely understood and whether they could explain their findings to others.
As psychology educators, we prepare students to work with diverse communities. Communicating research clearly is just as important as conducting the analysis itself. The mini viva encouraged students to move beyond technical skills and demonstrate genuine understanding.
What changed my thinking
The most valuable insights came from listening to students reflect on their learning. Many described the mini viva as an opportunity to consolidate their learning and engage in a genuine academic conversation. Several also valued the chance to speak one-on-one with the subject coordinator, something that is becoming less common in large classes and online learning environments.
One theme stood out. Students consistently said it was easier to recall statistical results than to explain what those results meant to someone without a psychology background. Hearing this repeatedly challenged my assumption that students who could perform statistical analyses would also be able to explain their meaning clearly to others. It became clear that these were related, but distinct, skills. What students knew and what they could explain did not always align.
That insight stayed with me. Understanding statistics is not the same as communicating statistical knowledge. The mini viva exposed the gap between knowing and explaining and prompted me to rethink what meaningful learning looks like in advanced statistics education.
What I redesigned
The mini viva was built into the existing written assessment rather than added as a separate task. Students discussed their research rationale, study design, analyses, and interpretation of findings. They also explained their results in plain language and avoided statistical or psychological jargon.
This shifted the focus from reporting outcomes to demonstrating understanding. Rather than asking whether students could perform statistical procedures, we explored whether they could justify decisions, explain complex ideas, and communicate evidence to a non-specialist audience. In doing so, the assessment evaluated conceptual clarity alongside applied competence.
What changed
Student reflections highlighted three clear benefits: meaningful one-to-one interaction, greater confidence discussing complex ideas, and a stronger appreciation for translating research into accessible language.
Students began to see that statistical competence involves more than producing correct analyses. It also requires explaining what findings mean and why they matter.
The experience also revealed important challenges. Conducting and moderating vivas for a large cohort was resource-intensive and highlighted the need for reliable scheduling systems, technical infrastructure, and administrative support. At times, the viva exposed differences between written submissions and students demonstrated understanding, raising important questions about assessment design, learning verification, and academic integrity.
What I took away
Presenting this work at the BJBS SLOWposium Elevate session gave me an opportunity to share practice and reflect on it. The discussions showed that many educators are grappling with similar questions around authentic assessment, student engagement, and academic integrity.
My biggest takeaway was clear: supervised assessments can reveal aspects of learning that written assessments may miss. The mini viva offered clear educational benefits, but it also showed that innovative assessment requires appropriate support and resources.
Above all, it reinforced a lesson I will carry forward: knowing matters but explaining clearly demonstrates understanding.
This reflective blog post is part of the Faculty’s Learning and Teaching SLOWposium 2026: Elevate session. Continue the conversation by exploring the reflections of our fellow presenters and discovering new perspectives on learning and teaching. Read the other presenters’ reflections here.
“Looking at this as a case study, and drawing on my experience as a psychology educator where reflection is central to learning, this was something I felt was worth sharing….”
You can download Rabiul’s presentation slides here