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The chairperson will ensure that the viva is conducted in a manner that the regulations of
the university are followed.
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Decides and communicate outcomes of the viva to the candidate.
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Duties include moderating the discussion/examination, to ensure all examiners’ questions
are adequately answered by the candidate.
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Chairperson not becomes an examiner but the person can ask questions on behalf of the
external examiner based on the examiner’s report if the examiner is not present.
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Chairperson is making the final recommendation.
External Examiner
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External examiner is the expert in the field of the candidate’s research.
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Have an established reputation in the area of the dissertation research and be able to
judge whether the dissertation is acceptable at a university.
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Evaluate the quality of your research.
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Seek explanations/justifications of your work.
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Suggest corrections/amendments.
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Make recommendation for the viva voce outcome.
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External examiner can be from local or foreign universities.
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The external from corporate but involved in the academic writing/publication can be
appointed.
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The external examiner must be available for the viva voce and where major corrections
and resubmission of the thesis are required he/she must be available to re-examine the
thesis.
Internal Examiner
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Internal examiner is a full-time academic staff of the university.
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Usually experienced in supervising research student.
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Expert in the field of study.
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Evaluate the quality of the research work.
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Involve in the discussion as providing avenues to demonstrate the capability of the
student’s knowledge.
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Suggest corrections/amendments.
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Make recommendation for the viva voce outcome.
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The internal examiner will normally check that the candidate has an adequate knowledge
of the broad field of the research project.
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It is important that the internal examiner, in support of the chairperson, exercises a major
role in ensuring that the oral examination is conducted in a supportive ambience.
Supervisor and Co-Supervisor
Main supervisor must attend the viva voce whereas the co-supervisor attendance is optional.
They will listen but they will not actively participate in the discussion unless asked by the
examiners or the chairperson.
The student must not depend on the supervisors or co-supervisors to bail out
of tough
questions, as it reflects badly as if the student is not independent.
The supervisor may request permission to clarify a particular point during the course of
the viva voce.
Preparation for VIVA Voce