Viva Voce Oral Exam (AI-Resistant Approach)

Kyle Smith is professor of Christianity in the History of Religions program at the University of Toronto, Mississauga and winner of the university's inaugural Early Career Teaching Award. His undergraduate courses bring ancient religious traditions into conversation with contemporary questions about meaning-making, cultural transformation, and technology. Rather than treating AI as simply a research tool, his pedagogy positions AI as both creative collaborator and object of critical analysis, with assignments that ask students to reverse-engineer mythology, create propaganda to recognize manipulation, and design speculative futures grounded in historical knowledge. His research focuses on Christianity in Roman Mesopotamia and Sasanian Persia, with recent work tracing Saint Nicholas's transformation from ancient protector of sailors and thieves to American Christmas icon.

Kyle Smith Professor, Department of Historical Studies, UTM

Objectives

As part of RLG342H5 S (Holy Heroes: The Lives and Legacies of Christian Martyrs) (Winter 2026), this final examination replaces traditional written exams with a 20-minute one-on-one oral conversation requiring students to think with course material rather than memorize it. The viva voce format prevents AI overreliance through its live, no-devices structure and random question selection via 12-sided die; students cannot predict which of twelve weekly guiding questions they will discuss, encouraging comprehensive engagement with all course material.

The examination scaffolds success by providing twelve guiding questions in advance (one per week) while requiring genuine understanding to respond effectively when questions are randomly selected. Students must demonstrate command of both primary sources and secondary scholarly arguments through spontaneous analytical conversation. The final five minutes flip the traditional approach: students ask the professor a challenging question about the course material, developing critical questioning skills alongside analytical response capabilities.

Process

The examination was designed as a culminating 20-minute oral assessment, combining random question selection with substantive scholarly conversation:

Step 1: Semester-Long Preparation with Weekly Guiding Questions

Each of twelve course weeks has a guiding question students should be prepared to discuss
Example questions include: “Who decides whether a death counts as a martyrdom?” “What turns a corpse into a relic?” “When does claiming persecution become a form of power?” “Whose voice do we hear in a martyrdom narrative, and whose gets silenced?”
Students engage with questions throughout semester via readings, discussions, and assignments, building comprehensive understanding

Step 2: Schedule Examination Slot

Sign-ups open during Reading Week
Examinations take place during two specified days in April
Individual 20-minute time slots scheduled

Step 3: Random Question Selection via Dice Roll

At examination start, roll 12-sided die three times
Each roll determines one of twelve weeks to discuss (e.g., die rolls 4, 7, 12 = discuss guiding questions from Weeks 4, 7, and 12)
Student spends approximately five minutes on each randomly selected question
No notes, sources, or devices permitted; student show up and interactively demonstrate their ability to think with the course material

Step 4: Demonstrate Analytical Thinking Through Conversation

Student must draw on specific primary sources (martyrdom narratives, saints’ lives) and secondary scholarly arguments from readings and class discussion
Best responses move fluidly between sources, construct arguments spontaneously, raise complications, and push back against claims with evidence
When professor complicates the question, student must think through complications rather than retreat to easy answers
Format rewards risk-taking and genuine intellectual engagement over safe, memorized responses

Step 5: Student Asks Professor a Hard Question (Final 5 Minutes)

Student poses challenging question about Christian martyrs or cult of saints
This approach helps to test student’s ability to identify meaningful scholarly questions and extend conversation
Professor answers, creating dialogue rather than one-way assessment

Future-Focused Skill Development

This activity supports future-ready learning by aligning with principles from the University of Calgary’s STRIVE model. For instance, it emphasizes Validity by ensuring authentic assessment through live oral examination with random question selection that structurally prevents AI use or advance preparation of memorized answers, requiring genuine comprehension and analytical thinking. It also promotes Responsibility by inviting students to take intellectual ownership of their learning across all twelve weeks of course material; since they cannot predict which questions the die will select, they are guided to prepare comprehensively and honestly engage with sources.

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