Senior Project is an alternative to the Extended Essay for High School Diploma students. The goal is for students to explore their curiosities and/or create something that they can use as part of their academic or professional portfolio.

Requirements

While the project is open to include almost anything, it does need to meet some specific requirements:

1.  The Senior Project must result in some kind of artefact. In other words, there needs to be a product, like a website, artwork, essay or a video. If the project's main focus is on action, some evidence of that action, like a documentary or presentation, is required.

2. The student must engage in the process of creating the Senior Project, not just submit a product on the due date. 

3. The Senior Project cannot be work created for one of your ISH classes. It can, however, be an extension of the learning you have done in one of your classes, and you can choose to submit the project to an appropriate teacher as an assessment in an appropriate High School course. Moreover, it can be related to a CAS activity and/or a project for which you are receiving credit. 

4. The Senior Project should give the student an opportunity to reach four outcomes at an outstanding level: Knowledge and investigation, Planning and process, Communication and Reflection. 

Some examples

• A blog about reading. Reflection on reading: fiction, news, poetry, etc..

• PET Bottle Art. Creating art out of plastic trash and raising awareness of the impact of plastic on sea life.

• Indigenous habitations in northern Namibia. An artistic exploration of architecture. 

• Dark Eyes. A collection of short stories.

• Event management. Presentation on work experience with an event management firm.

Process

1. Choose a topic. What are you interested in? What do you plan to do after high school? What have you always wanted to try or do or learn more about? 

2. Find a supervisor. Which member of staff will be best equipped to help you with your project? They do not need to be an expert in the subject.

3. Design the Project. What will be the outcome? Is it achievable? Does it meet the requirements? What criteria will help us measure its success? 

4. Create a process with benchmarks. How can you break down your project into smaller parts? How can those be checked by the May, August, September and October deadlines? These need to be entered on the MB Workspace.

5. Complete the project. Find a way to share it. (That sharing can be a CAS activity.)

6. Share your experience. You will participate in a discussion with your supervisor, the coordinator and/or the DP Division Lead to evaluate your project and reflect on what you learned.

For students arriving in grade 12, we will modify the Senior Project to fit their needs and timeframe.

Role of the supervisor

The supervisor is a staff member who is able to help you not only with the content of your project, but also the process. In the Senior Project, you have a supervisor, not a teacher. It is not their role to chase you down and give you information; the student must take the initiative to set up meetings and define the purpose of the meeting. Be prepared to ask questions and seek advice, not wait for feedback.

You will definitely need to meet with your supervisor for every benchmark date to show progress. You can meet between those dates as needed.

Role of the coordinator

The coordinator provides an overview of the project process. They can help you think about choices before you choose your supervisor and provide support for skill development and communication, often as a whole group. They will also follow up on your progress and encourage your continued progress and engagement.

Recording your process

The Senior Project section of ManageBac will be the place where you keep track of the progress and share that with your supervisor. It will be a part of your assessment, so it is important to keep it updated.

• Workspace: Create your proposal, identify benchmark goals, upload documents to share with your supervisor, communicate with your supervisor.

•  Progress: Record research, Identify steps in the process, include evidence of process (photos, video, audio, text). Each entry should be marked with the outcomes related to that action so your supervisor can easily find evidence for assessment.

• Reflections: At several times during the process, record your ideas and reflections about your progress. Here are some questions to guide your reflections as you go:

  • Inquiry: Why is this an appropriate project for you individually (interests, goals, etc.)? What knowledge and skills do you already have that will help you complete your project? What knowledge and skills will you need to acquire (specific to project, personal management, etc.)? How can you acquire that knowledge and those skills? 

  • Action benchmark: What have you gotten done? What are the challenges? What skills have you acquired, or what skills need more attention? 

  • Reflection: How has your thinking about the subject changed? What have you learned about the creative process? What parts of the process were especially effective? What parts would you do differently next time? What have you learned about yourself as a learner?

Assessment

The Senior Project will be assessed by the supervisor, the coordinator and/or the DP Division Lead. It will recieve a descriptor: Poor, Satisfactory, Proficient or Outstanding. A Poor Senior Project is a failing condition for graduating with a High School Diploma. Here is the rubric for the Senior Project: