Preparing for the Viva Through Play: A Card-Based Game Intervention for Doctoral Students

This developmental case study introduces the viva card game, a non-digital, game-based learning intervention designed to help UK doctoral candidates prepare for the viva voce examination. The authors argue that viva preparation often lacks structured, low-stakes opportunities for oral rehearsal, and that a card deck of viva-style questions, organised around standard thesis sections, can provide that practice. The intervention is adaptable to individual study, supervisor-student discussion, peer groups, and workshops, and it is framed as a game-based learning activity built on task design and peer dialogue rather than reward mechanics such as points or badges.

The evidence presented is preliminary and qualitative. It draws on two pilot workshops, one at a postgraduate research conference with five tables of 6-8 participants and one at a human resource development conference with 18 doctoral students across four tables, along with facilitator field notes, observations, and about ten participant comments. Early observations suggest that the cards help candidates move from familiarity with their thesis toward articulating and defending it aloud, encourage reflection on methodological choices, reduce anxiety through a supportive setting, and foster peer learning. The authors caution that these are perceived benefits from a small formative dataset, not demonstrated improvements in viva performance, and that the contribution of the cards cannot yet be separated from facilitation and supervisory input. Limitations and future directions include structured feedback from students and supervisors, longitudinal follow-up, and multilingual and digital adaptations.