Literally, ‘Viva voce’ is a ‘live voice’ and this little couplet nicely sums up the real purpose of the viva. Traditionally, the viva is a live conversation about work. Although we’ll be using your private forum for the conversation, we should still think of the viva as a ‘live’ experience. The viva is designed to allow you to ‘bring to life’ the essence of your work.

We should also stress the conversational dimension of the process: don’t think of it as a test, or as a one-way Q&A where someone tries to catch you out. Try instead to think of it more as an opportunity to clarify and expand on the details of your project. We may identify aspects of your work which seem ambiguous or undeveloped, and ask you to develop your ideas; or we might select parts of your work which we think are particularly impressive and discuss them with you in more depth.

There are no ‘standard’ questions which we’ll ask – but we do have some hints about general directions we might take:

• Questions to put you at your ease – often about your own practice.
• Questions about your project – how and why you see it as liable to succeed; what its problems might be; why it’s important you, your own professional practice, or your profession/industry in its wider context.
• Questions about what you chose not to include in your analysis of context, and explanation of your project, and why.
• Questions about research and methodology.
• Questions about your conclusions as to the originality and viability of your ideas.
• Questions about the future of your project.
• Maybe some picky academic questions about references etc.

How it happens

On December 7th the Unit 5 assignment has to be submitted. We will read your submissions, and then we will post questions to your private forum space. Obviously we know you’re at work, busy with life, etc, but we will need you to check your private forum space regularly and answer our questions as promptly as you can. The viva period closes at the end of the office hours on 18th December.

I’ll start a thread on the Unit 5 forum, where we can discuss the viva, and you can ask any questions you may have about it. And of course, any problems or worries about this process, speak to your tutor.