Guidance

=** GUIDING THE EXTENDED ESSAY **=

The new Extended Essay and requirements for the ITGS Extended Essay are contained in the Extended Essay Guide (first examinations 2009) pages 3-33. The section specific to ITGS appears on pages 112-116.

The ITGS Extended Essay Report from M09 is the first Extended Essay for the new Guide. This report provides a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the extended essays that were submitted. It provides guidelines for the guidances of future candidates on ITGS Extended Essays.

"The extended essay is an in-depth study of a focused topic chosen from the list of approved Diploma Programme subjects — normally one of the student’s six chosen subjects for the IB diploma. It is intended to promote high-level research and writing skills, intellectual discovery and creativity. It provides students with an opportunity to engage in personal research in a topic of their own choice, under the guidance of a supervisor (a teacher in the school)." [IBO Extended Essays 2009] A student will spend about 40 hours on the Extended Essay.
 * What is an Extended Essay? **


 * How long is an Extended Essay? **
 * The upper limit of 4000 words includes the introduction, the body, the conclusion and any quotations, but does not include:
 * the abstract (limit 300 words)
 * acknowledgements
 * the contents page
 * maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations and tables
 * the references/bibliography
 * appendices

“The research process necessarily involves intellectual risk-taking and extensive reflection; open-mindedness, balance and fairness are key prerequisites for a good extended essay.” [EE Guide]
 * Relationship to the Learner Profile **

The total score is out of 36 and five grades can be awarded · A Work of an excellent standard · B Work of a good standard · C Work of a satisfactory standard · D Work of a mediocre standard · E Work of an elementary standard
 * How is it assessed? **

The extended essay contributes to the overall diploma score through the award of points in conjunction with Theory of Knowledge. A maximum of three points are awarded according to a candidate’s combined performance in both the extended essay and Theory of Knowledge. [The above information has been taken from the Extended Essay Guide - first exams 2009]
 * Award of Diploma Points **
 * Please note from May 2010 a candidate who scores an E for the Extended Essay will fail the Diploma **

**DEVELOPING THE RESEARCH QUESTION**
Whenever you read a RQ, try to see if there are "traces" of the ITGS triangle in the question. All of the parts do not need to be explicitly stated, but it should be evident that they are implied in the RQ. 1. an area of impact and/or stakeholders 2. implication for the IT concepts that contribute to the issue 3.social and/or ethical impacts(s) The research question is the focus of the entire paper and at the end the question needs to be answered. It helps formulate the title and the RQ as a question. Sometimes it helps to make a list of words under these three headings and then try to put the relevant words together in a RQ.
 * The research question needs to be an ISSUE or BALANCED topic that includes.**

1. new developments (not enough secondary research exists and ITGS EEs rely on both secondary research and primary research) 2. papers based solely on a technological development or new technology. (not ITGS without all parts of the triangle) 3. no possibility for primary research (investigations, experimentations, collection of data, and interviews and surveys - both usually done poortly and need guidance on methodologies to use)
 * EE RQ that do not work:**

The investigation on security issues of online banking: What are the impacts of virtual banking security issues toward its user in {country name}? How does online gaming in PC-bangs affect teenagers in {country name} aged from 13 to 19? To what extent is the effort made by school IT administrators to enforce responsible computer use and security policies futile?
 * Some sample RQ questions:**

**SECONDARY RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES**
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**PRIMARY RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES**
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//What process do you use to guide students from beginning to submission of the Extended Essay?//


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**Note: resourc****es have been compiled from various workshops - they are not IB recommendations - you will need to evaluate them** text