Oral Examinations of Ministry Scenarios: A Case Study

One of the guiding principles in assessment design is alignment.  Constructive alignment throughout a well-designed course ensures that the content and pedagogical methodology are tailored toward the production of desired course outcomes.  Where course outcomes include elements of ministry practice, the mode (and not just the content) of assessment should be aligned with the intended ministry application.  For example, a written examination on homiletics measures certain things but does not indicate whether or not a student is a competent preacher.  This paper will present a case-study in the use of oral examinations for measuring ministry competencies.

The case-study is drawn from recent practice in Moore College’s Ministry and Mission 3 course.  The course involved a number of units taught utilising a problem-based learning approach to developing ministry responses.  The final assessment for the course required students to view a 3 minute video clip of a pastoral scenario and then to answer a number of questions about how they would respond to that scenario as a student minister in a local church.

Constructive alignment throughout a well-designed course ensures that the content and pedagogical methodology are tailored toward the production of desired course outcomes.

A small team worked together to develop the scenario and then design a series of questions with a detailed marking grid and assessment protocol to ensure a fair and consistent assessment experience for students.  Lessons were learnt along the way and areas for improvement have been identified.  Faculty involved in the examinations reported a greater sense of confidence that the assessment provided a better indication of the capacity of students to integrate and pastorally apply elements of the course in a ministry setting