By turning our attention in a serious way to how we use and think about our voices and ears, we can help students develop their communicative resources as thinkers, listeners, and speaking citizens. 

(Holmes-Henderson and Wright (2025)

Sussex colleagues, join us on 26th November (13:00-16:00 at 255 Bramber House) to explore the role of oracy in higher education. Discover practical strategies for embedding speaking and listening into the curriculum, and learn how oral assessments can support inclusion, engagement, and academic integrity. Oracy, defined as the ability to express oneself fluently and communicate effectively, is an often-overlooked skill in higher education. This event invites educators to consider how oracy can be embedded into teaching and how oral assessments can support inclusive pedagogy. Register via Eventbrite. 

Why oracy? 

Oracy education encompasses a wide range of practices, including discussions, presentations, vivas, performances, and debates. These activities not only help students develop and demonstrate mastery of their discipline but also prepare them for life beyond university. As Michael Rosen, advocate for developing students’ oracy skills at all levels of their education, states: “talk precedes writing and is crucial to understanding cognition … when you talk, you hear what other people say and how they think, and that helps you formulate ideas for yourself” (2024). 

The rise of generative AI and its implications for academic integrity have further highlighted the value of embodied skills, such as speaking and listening. Oral assessments make it more difficult for students to outsource their work to AI tools and enable educators to better connect with students, assess their understanding, and support their skill development. 

Challenges  

Despite their benefits, oral assessments require careful resource planning. Depending on the type of assessment, they can be resource-heavy for both main marking and making re-sits. From the student perspective, they can be time-intensive and anxiety-inducing. Issues of fairness and bias, such as how accent, confidence, or language fluency affect perception, must be addressed through staff training, the scaffolding of assessments, and reasonable adjustments. This event will provide a space to discuss these challenges openly, share practical strategies, and reflect on how oracy can be supported across disciplines. 

Sussex: a hub for oracy 

The University of Sussex already has excellent leaders in oracy education. Dr. Verona Ní Drisceoil (Reader in Legal Education (Law, Politics and Sociology)) has pioneered ‘voice work’ in legal education, and Sussex hosts the UKRI-funded Speaking Citizens project led by Dr. Tom F. Wright (Associate Professor in Rhetoric (Media, Arts and Humanities)). Wright’s new book, Oracy: The Politics of Speech Education (Cambridge University Press), explores the historical, political, and pedagogical dimensions of oracy, offering a roadmap for implementation across sectors.  

Why attend? 

Come and hear from Verona, Tom, and other Sussex academics as they share their expertise and experiences of embedding oracy into their curricula. This event will not only offer valuable insights into how oracy can be effectively integrated into teaching and learning but also provide an opportunity to network with colleagues from a range of disciplines. It may be particularly beneficial for those looking to develop aspects of their educational practice and could serve as a useful point of reflection for fellowship applications to the Higher Education Academy. 

Programme 

This in-person event (Bramber House 255) consists of a series of lightning talks interspersed with time to chat and network with colleagues to share ideas and resources. 

13:00–13:15 — Welcome    

13:15–13:45 — Provocation: Why oracy matters: Verona Ní Drisceoil and Tom Wright. 

13:45–14:35 — Lightning talks: Getting students talking in teaching spaces  

• Cath Senker (Assistant Professor in Academic Skills (University of Sussex Law School)) – Whose voices are we hearing in the classroom? Promoting oracy for learning  

• Emma Newport (Associate Professor in English Literature (Media, Arts and Humanities)) – The extracurricular impact of Sussex Writes on student confidence speaking in class  

• Fiona Clements (Assistant Professor in Law (Law, Politics and Sociology) – Encouraging oracy in the classroom  

• Sarah Otner (Associate Professor in Innovation Management (University of Sussex Business School)) In-class debating  

BREAK 14:35-14.45  

14:45–15:25 — Lightning talks: Oracy and assessment  

• Matthew Cole (Assistant Professor in Technology, Work and Employment (University of Sussex Business School)) – Group presentations as an assessment   

• Benoît Guilbaud (Associate Professor in French, Language Pathways Convenor (Media, Arts and Humanities)) – The range of oral assessments used in modern languages: challenges and opportunities  

• Ernesto Cabellos (Assistant Professor in Filmmaking (Media, Arts and Humanities)) – Pitching with confidence: Oracy, accentism and AI in Film & Media Education  

BREAK 15:25-15:35  

15:35–15:55 — Plenary: Sharing insights and takeaways  

• What have we learnt from today  

• What might we take forward into our own practice?  

• Ideas for the Learning Matters blog write-up and other forms of output  

CLOSE 15:55-16:00 

Please register via Eventbrite. 

References 

• Buckley, K., 2024, June 7. Talking the Talk: Interactive Oral Assessment to Promote Academic Integrity in Large Postgraduate Teacher Education Programmes. Pedagogy for Higher Education Large Classes (PHELC), Online Symposium. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11410269 

• Holmes-Henderson, L. and Wright, T.F., 2025. Oracy: The Politics of Speech Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

• Rosen, M., 2024, 2024. The Commission Conversations. Oracy Education Commission , 14 May. Available at: https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/the-commission-conversations-michael-rosen (Accessed: 2 September 2025).