The Extended Essay

1. The Extended Essay Supervisor Workshop, Fall 2010 Utica Academy for International Studies

2. Workshop Goals… • Understand the requirements and process that will prepare students to write the Extended Essay (EE) • Gain a better understanding of the scoring rubric and the scoring process • Understand the roles and responsibilities of an EE supervisor • Be prepared to create a informational department presentation to guide diploma candidates toward an area of EE study

3. The Diploma Programme

4. *Coordinators should consult programme guide for passing eligibility.

5. New Regulation for 2010 From 2010 onward, 28 points overall will be required for a student to be eligible for a diploma if that student earns an “E” in either TOK or Extended Essay. As previously, an “A” in one of those requirements earns an extra point even if the other grade is an “E.” Attaining in “E” in both still continues to represent an automatic failure.

6. The Extended Essay ManualRequired Material for All Supervisors(Pages 1-33)

7. Core Components—EE Manual • Introduction, Outline, Details, All Essays • General information for all subjects • Nature, aims, objectives of EE (p. 1-6) • School (p. 7) • Supervisors (p. 8-9) • Students (p. 10) • Use of media and other materials (p. 19) • Viva voce (p. 20) • General assessment criteria (p. 25)

8. EE Brief Description • Chosen from approved DP list • Required for IB diploma eligibility • Externally assessed by IBO evaluators • Total assessment points 0-36, of which a grade between an A to E is awarded • Point relationship between TOK and EE • Opportunity for personal exploration • Aligned with learner profile

9. EE General Requirements • Between 3,500-4,000 words • Involves higher level research • 300 word abstract • Represents a 40-hour commitment • No editing by the supervisor • Supervisor submits a predicted grade and a supervisor’s report to the IBO • Concludes with the viva voce interview

10. Subject-Specific Areas Where Can UAIS Students Write Their EEs? Group 1 (English) Film Social and cultural anthropology Group 2 (Spanish) Geography Theatre Group 2 (Mandarin)HistoryVisual Arts Group 2 (French) Human Rights World Religions Group 2 (Japanese) Information technology in a global society BiologyMathematics ChemistryMusic Classical Greek/Latin Peace and conflict studies Computer Science Philosophy Dance Physics Design Technology Politics Economics Psychology Environmental systems and societies

12. EE Assessment Criteria (p. 22-31) • Provides overview of each criterion assesses • Forms the basis of the scoring rubric for all subject areas • Further advice on interpreting assessment criteria provided within guidelines for each subject provided in “Details—subject specific” section

13. Extended Essay Criteria A Research Question 2 B Introduction 2 C Investigation 4 D Knowledge/Understanding 4 E Reasoned Argument 4 F Apply Analysis & Evaluation 4 G Language Appropriate 4 H Conclusion 2 I Formal Presentation 4 J Abstract 2 K Holistic Judgment 4

14. Extended Essay Grade Boundaries • A 29 – 36 • B 23 – 28 • C 16 – 22 • D 8 – 15 • E 0 – 7

15. Details—Subject Specific Guidelines • Specific subject criteria (p.34-175) • Each subject area includes: • Overview of subject • Choice of topic • Treatment of the topic • Interpretation of the assessment rubric All teachers must know subject-specific details and criteria for students to be successful!

16. Supervisor Responsibilities • Conduct departmental meetings for EE • Discuss choice of topic • Help formulate and adjust research question • Ensure research question satisfies legal and ethical standards • Advise students on how to: • Gather and analyze information/evidence/data • Encourage consultation with school/university librarian(s) • Write an abstract • Document sources in standard format • Participate in the viva voce

17. Supervisor Responsibilities • Read sample essays & examiner reports. • Make samples available to students. • Let students score sample essays. • Spend three to five hours with each student. • Students may work with or consult outside sources, but the supervisor is responsible for completing all responsibilities stated.

18. Supervisor Responsibilities • Know subject area assessment criteria • Read and comment on first draft only • Monitor progress • Read final version to confirm authenticity • Conduct the viva voce • Submit predicted grade • Complete evaluator’s report • Report malpractice, if suspected

19. The Iceberg Model 7/8 = Pre-Writing/Draft Phase Student & supervisor work together to: Explore and discuss ideas Locate appropriate resources Discuss readings and ideas Develop a suitable research question Supervisor monitors progress Represents 3-5 hours of work per student 1/8 = Writing Phase Student works independently to: Write EE draft Revision conference drives final draft of essay Prepare the final EE

20. The UAIS EE Schedule • Provides internal & external due dates • Timeline can coincide with SDD with sophomores and freshmen • Builds in six mandatory in-school meetings with students • Evaluation grade for TOK following each interview, except Viva Voce • Students write their rough drafts during summer

21. Subject-Specific Seminars: Nov. 18 • Goal: Provide students with specific subject area info necessary to select best topic • Juniors rotate four times among different classrooms, spending thirty minutes in each • Provide specific information about writing in your area that EE coordinator cannot

22. Subject Preference Seminars Outline • Overview of subject-specific guidelines and topic choices • Helpful examiner comments from English evaluators • Sample topics and questions for English • Subject-specific issues to consider before choosing English • Academic referencing • Q&A or peruse examples if time remains

23. Supervisor Selection: January • Students submit at least two EE proposals in two separate subjects; EE coordinator collects • Department representatives meet to divide students equitably and in their best interests • Departments meet to assess best supervisor-student relationship • Supervisor-student pairings announced

24. Discussion: Where Do We Go? • Option 1: Supervisors and students set own meeting times and department-generated due dates, set to occur before or after school or during lunch. • Option 2: Coordinator aligns freshmen & sophomore semester project work days with pre-determined due dates, set to occur during the school day itself.

25. Writing EE Research Questions • Must be truly in subject area • Must be specific, argumentative, manageable • Science: no blending of disciplines and no secondary research papers • History: must be at least ten years past • Refer to Glossary of Command Terms

26. Conducting EE Research • Coordinator will take students to a university library, if possible • Departments should give students advice based on their own research experiences • Make clear a documentation style you expect and is appropriate for research • Demand working bibliographies, outlines, and written notes or note cards

27. But I Looked It Up!

28. Revision Conference • Follows completion of the rough draft in September of senior year • Absolutely NO editing or marks on clean paper provided back to student • Comments provided in boxes on rubric only • Conference regarding draft can only occur once!

29. Supervisor’s Final Report • Must be signed by the candidate and the student • Requires estimate of total hours spent with candidate • Completed only after a predicted grade is given by the supervisor, with comments • Should NOT be signed if suspected of plagiarism

30. What is the Viva Voce? • Verbal interview • Lasts 10-15 minutes • Serves as conclusion to EE process • Opportunity for reflection • Can serve as plagiarism/malpractice check • Used to bolster holistic assessment • Should end on a positive note • Refer to page 20 in EE guide

31. Academic Integrity (pages 36-47) • Student is ultimately responsible. • Works or ideas of others must be correctly acknowledged. • Supervisor confirms that the EE the student submits is authentic work of the student. • Both plagiarism and collusion are forms of malpractice. • Same piece of work, or two versions of the same, cannot be submitted by the student

32. EE Supervisor Integrity Tips • Always require drafts • When in doubt, encourage citation • Give any suspicious read a second look 24 hours later • Fair and transparent application of rules • Cite the IB learner profile and school policy • Monitor progress regularly

33. Group Activity • Read over subject specific guidelines for your particular subject area. • Score one exemplar using the rubric to derive a predicted score. This mimics what you must do for each of your EE students. • Practice writing “non-editing” comments on the draft. Use the combined rubric for your subject matter to help you.

34. Group Activity: Scoring Guidelines • Scoring guidelines for EE supervisors

35. Scores for Sample Essays Language A1 History Poets A (33) Israel A (31) Gatsby C (20) Mexico C (19) History Biology Israel A (31) Malaria D (10) Mexico C (19) Juice B (25) Plant Extracts A (33) Mathematics Fractional Calculus A (34) Visual Arts Papageorge C (20) Le Corbusier A (36)

36. Examiner Reports 2009 • Biology The most successful essays had a small number of a clearly defined and easily manipulated independent variables and a quantifiable and easily measured dependent variable. Successful essays often relied on the use of basic equipment of the type that can be normally found in a school, and were carried out in the school laboratory or in the local environment. There can be no doubt that the quality, and to a lesser extent the quantity, of supervision received by a candidate can play a significant role in the success of an extended essay. Consequently there is a strong need for supervisors to familiarize themselves with the current guide and to assist the candidates in interpreting the requirements.

37. Advice to All Supervisors • Some supervisors, unfortunately, appear not to have ever read the responsibilities of the supervisor and subject criteria guide in the EE guide. • Some supervisors are neglecting to write any comments on the candidates’ performance—though claiming great amounts of supervision time. • A sizeable proportion of essays contained very brief, uninformative comments or none at all while others wrote lengthy reports that contained irrelevant information.

38. Reviewing Goals… • Understand the requirements and process that will prepare students to write the Extended Essay (EE) • Gain a better understanding of the scoring rubric and the scoring process • Understand the roles and responsibilities of an EE supervisor • Be prepared to create a informational department presentation to guide diploma candidates toward an area of EE study • Questions?

39. The Big Picture: Semester Projects • (How) can we better prepare our students for the Extended Essay with the current semester project? • Where, if at all, do we feel students need more help in the research process?