DP Update: Extended Essays done!

Seniors celebrate after turning in their EE.

- How have Colin Kaepernick and Serena Williams raised awareness about "dreaming crazy"?
- What effect does tube length have on the velocity of a projectile in a vacuum bazooka?  
- To what extent can aeroponics be implemented in Zambia to combat food insecurity?

These are only a few of the questions explored by the Class of 2020 in their Extended Essays (EE's).  Students submitted their final versions on Friday 25 October, much to the relief of all involved! The EE is a challenging year-long project that engages students in topics of their own choosing and culminates in a 4,000-word research paper.  It's excellent preparation for university, and students will certainly appreciate its relevance to their future studies. Only a few more steps remain until it's officially done:

1. a final discussion, the "Viva Voce," with their supervisor,
2. the writing and submission of their reflective statements, and
3. a student-led EE celebration/presentation for parents and grade 11's - just in time for the whole process to start again with the Class of 2021!

If you're an interested Grade 11 or Grade 12 parent, the upcoming EE celebration will be on Monday 18 November (details regarding times and locations will be communicated next week).

The EE requires substantial development in academic integrity skills, so this was an important topic in a recent parent coffee morning.  The presentation, "Assessments and Academic Integrity in the DP", prompted thoughtful questions from parents and clarified how AISL supports our Diploma Programme (DP) students through the Internal Assessment (IA) submission process.   It also included details about:

• how exactly the IB creates marks out of 7,
• the three kinds of predicted grades issued at AISL,
• a brief intro to the IA calendar, and 
• information about academic honesty and an outline of the consequences for academic malpractice. 

Future coffee mornings will address the IA Calendar and DP exams in more detail.

One question arose about requesting remarks and retakes for DP exams and IAs.  To clarify, students who ask for a remark of their May exams or other assessment components will be awarded the remark score - even if it is lower than their original mark.  However, students who retake an exam or submit a new IA (during the November session) will be awarded whichever grade is higher.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns.  You can reach me, the Diploma Program Coordinator, Monica Murphy, at mmurphy@aislusaka.org.

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