Supervisor Comments and Analysis. sites.lsnhs.lsr7.org/ib/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2021/08/Supervisor-comments-and-analysis-1.pdf.
Viva Voce
Preparation for the final reflection session (viva voce)
Supervisors must have already read the final version of the essay, sent to them by the candidate before this session takes place.
Students should bring the following to this session:
• extracts from their RRS that illustrate how they have grown as learners through the process of reflection
• a willingness to share their personal experience and to discuss the skills and development of conceptual understandings that they have acquired through the completion of the extended essay.
Tip
It is important to note that students must not be allowed to make any changes to their extended essay after this meeting. Once they have submitted the final essay to their supervisor, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that changes are not made.
Final reflection session (viva voce)
The viva voce is a short interview between the student and the supervisor, and is the mandatory conclusion to the extended essay process. Students who do not attend the viva voce will be disadvantaged under criterion E (engagement) as the Reflections on planning and progress form will be incomplete.
The viva voce is conducted once the student has submitted the final version of their extended essay. At this point in the process no further changes can be made to the essay. The viva voce is a celebration of the completion of the essay and a reflection on what the student has learned from the process.
The viva voce is:
• an opportunity to ask the student a variety of open-ended questions to elicit holistic evidence of the
student’s learning experience.
• an opportunity for the supervisor to confirm the authenticity of the student’s ideas and sources
• an opportunity to reflect on successes and difficulties encountered in the research process
• an aid to the supervisor’s comments on the Reflections on planning and progress form.
The viva voce should last 20–30 minutes. This is included in the recommended amount of time a supervisor should spend with the student.
In conducting the viva voce and writing their comments on the Reflections on planning and progress form, supervisors should bear in mind the following.
• The form is an assessed part of the extended essay. The form must include: comments made by the supervisor that are reflective of the discussions undertaken with the student during their supervision/reflection sessions; the student’s comments; and the supervisor’s overall impression of the student’s engagement with the research process.
• An incomplete form resulting from supervisors not holding reflection sessions, or students not attending them, could lead to criterion E (engagement) being compromised.
• In assessing criterion E (engagement), examiners will take into account any information given on the form by the student about unusual intellectual inventiveness. This is especially the case if the student is able to demonstrate what has been learned as a result of this process or the skills developed.
• Examiners want to know that students understand any material (which must be properly referenced) that they have included in their essays. If the way the material is used in context in the essay does not clearly establish this, the supervisor can check the student’s understanding in the viva voce and comment on this on the Reflections on planning and progress form.
• If there appear to be major shortcomings in citations or referencing, the supervisor should investigate thoroughly. No essay should be authenticated if the supervisor believes the student may be guilty of plagiarism or some other form of academic misconduct.
• The comment made by the supervisor should not attempt to do the examiner’s job. It should refer to things, largely process-related, that may not be obvious in the essay itself.
• Unless there are particular problems, the viva voce should begin and end positively. Completion of a major piece of work such as the extended essay is a great achievement for students.
Tip
Following this final session, the student is required to complete the last student comment section of the Reflections on planning and progress form and submit it to his or her supervisor, who must then add his or her own comments, and initial and date the form. Note that the maximum total word limit for the three reflections on the RPPF is 500.
An RPPF that is blank, unsubmitted, or written in a language other than that of the essay, will be awarded a 0 for criterion E.
Source: IBO Guide Extended Essay
During the viva voce, which takes place at the completion of the extended essay process, the RRS can form the basis for discussion about the process of completing the essay.
Students can show what they have learned about the topic, the research process followed, their own learning, as well as outlining new questions they have uncovered.
Most importantly, during the viva voce the RRS may help to highlight the personal significance of the work to the student and ultimately contribute to the supervisor's report.
Questions
Consider using some of these questions to engage in rich dialogue about the learning process. Process questions - Content questions - Personal questions
What have been the high and low points of the research and writing processes?’
What would you have done differently in the research process?
What is the most important thing that you learned?
What was your greatest challenge and how did you overcome it?
What would you change in your research if you did another EE?
How rewarding did you find the experience??
What was the most valuable experience that you took away from the process?
What was your greatest challenge and what did you do to overcome it?
What advice would you give to the next year’s group?
What IB learner profile attribute would you say helped you through the process (communicator, risk-taker, etc.)?
Would you like to continue reading on this topic?
What questions did this process raise?
What conclusions have you drawn about the topic?
What ATL skills did you develop the most through this process?
It is also acceptable to use this reflection session (partly) as a more ‘traditional’ viva to check on authenticity / depth of thinking.
Also, pick points out of the essay - ask specific questions, ask for clarifications
Key - begin and end positively. This is the end of a long, sometimes tough, process.
Source: ISM Libguide
What supervisors can do
Comments can be added that indicate that the essay could be improved. These comments should be open-ended and not involve editing the text, for example:
What supervisors cannot do:
Source: Introducing students to the extended essay
| Role |
Action |
| Supervisor |
The Supervisor is required to...
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| Supervisor |
The Supervisor is strongly recommended to...
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The supervisor should:
The supervisor is not responsible for verifying specific content within the student's EE. The supervisor is responsible for verifying that the essay is the student’s own work and that the student has properly acknowledged all her or his sources.
Source:IBO.org