Optical Communications Academic Year 2021-2022

Professor Mario Martinelli

10 CFU

How to approach an oral exam

The COVID pandemic forces us to change our habits. Therefore, having to choose a remote exam
for this academic year I have chosen the oral form, because it is easier to implement, more flexible
and more precise in rating.

The oral exam is not new, indeed it has always been the standard form of exam especially for the
exams of the last years of the university or for the Master exams. In recent years, following the new
studies organization (3+2) and in the presence of a large number of students, the prevailing
orientation has been to take written exams, to which you are perhaps more accustomed.

You do not have to be worried about taking an oral exam, on the contrary, if well conducted it can
provide a more precise evaluation compared with the written exam. The only flaw it has is that it is
more time-consuming ( for the professor, of course).

In the following I give you some advices on how to approach a remote oral exam in Optical
Communication.

1) Come to the exam only if prepared: do not attempt the exam. The oral exam is not
anonymous but it is a direct conversation between the student and the professor that cannot
be "tempted". Attempting the exam would mean wasting time not only for the professor but
also for the following students who are waiting for their turn. It undermines the relationship
of trust between the teacher and the student.
2) The oral exam proceeds with questions on "fundamental" and very "general" concepts and
then gradually enters into ever more precise details. It is useless to memorize the details if
you do not have clear ideas about the fundamental concepts. During the answer your
confidence with the fundamental concepts clearly emerges and this constitutes an element
of judgment.
3) When answering, always use an appropriate and precise language: always avoid using
generic expressions: one day you will be professionals and a professional is distinguished
only (only) for the property of language, for the use of correct and precise words. As an
engineer you must always know the orders of magnitude of the variables in question and
the units of measurement. If you don't know this, you won't get a good exam.
4) Always respond by using only the material presented in this Course. It was presented
following a certain logic and by means the use of certain using equations, concepts and
wording. If you use words and concepts from other context, this exposes you to being
misunderstood leading to complication in the exam interview.
5) Always and only answer the questions that are asked, do not try to answer other questions
or give generic answers. Anyone who listens to you immediately notices this tentative and
bring a bad impression. If you don't know the answer to a question, say it clearly: the
teacher helps you find it.
6) Many students ask how accurately they should learn the mathematical expressions that are
in the slides. Learn only the main ones, in other words the results that I have emphasized
many times. But above all, after you have written an expression, learn to explain it and
learn to dissect its contents.
7) During the course we made extensive use of diagrams (such as the dispersion diagram),
graphs and drawings: you learn to use them too during the answer.
 8) During the course we made extensive use of numerical examples: learn by heart the main
values of the quantities, variables and parameters we used and their precise meaning.
9) Review the numerical exercises you did during the exercitations because the exam always
includes a numerical evaluation that you must do at the moment.
10) The oral exam is based on a relationship of trust and mutual honesty between the student
and the teacher: this is the most important thing that must always be kept.
Nothing happens if the exam goes wrong: many times this depends on the fact that the first
question was perhaps on a difficult topic or that you had overlooked. Sometimes
psychological factors also take place that depress the student after the first negative
questions. These incidents do not break the relationship of trust with the professor when you
return. In other terms, you don't have to worry if an exam goes wrong: this can help improve
your preparation and get a higher grade.

Practical items

The oral exam method is very simple: it requires that you are alone in the room where you answer
and that you have only the computer with the camera and the audio switch on (check the quality of
the connection before starting the exam). Bring some white sheets with you to write on with a wide
tip pen if possible (so that the drawings and writing are clearly visible from the camera). The exam
is given in English.

I will look at the list of registered students and on the day of the exam session I will make an appeal
to see who confirms the exam and who has particular schedule needs or other particular needs.
Those who do not show up will be marked absent and will be automatically postponed to the next
session. Based on this appeal, I will compile a time schedule of the exams you must follow. Those
who do not show up in the indicated time slot will be automatically postponed to the next session.

Advices

The exam takes place on the WEBEX platform and is public. During the exam the professor is a
public official so he will always guarantee the complete impartiality of the exam. The student
cannot ask for special treatments, in particular he cannot ask to take the exam in two or more parts,
to postpone the exam date and the assigned time slot, to take part of the exam in written form, to
consult test or be helped by other people in the exam room. If the professor notices irregularities, he
can cancel the exam. The proposed vote is public. The student can accept or decline the grade. The
exam can be repeated, in which case the previous grade will not be remembered.

Programme

The exam programme coincides with the material posted on WEBEEP in the Document and Media
session.