Online+Course+-++Extended+Research+Essay

= Online Course: Extended Research Essay for Senior High School (Year 12) Students =

Extended Essay

The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, culminating in a 3500-word paper. As a required component, it provides:

• practical preparation for the kinds of undergraduate research required at tertiary level

• opportunity for students to engage in an in-depth study of a topic of interest within a chosen subject

• development of reflective and critical thinking strategies

Emphasis is placed on the research process:

•formulating an appropriate research question •engaging in a personal exploration of the topic •communicating ideas •developing an argument.

Participation in this process develops the capacity to:

• analyse • synthesize, and • evaluate knowledge.


 * Assignment Requirements

Word Length: ** • 3500 words (or equivalent format) for the assignment (The word count for the assignment includes all words in the assignment, but excludes the reference list and any additional appendices and the 500 word (or equivalent format) reflection.

Equivalent formats could include:

* Entry into relevant section of Wikipedia
 * individual wiki
 * web page
 * PowerPoint
 * Podcast

Task 1) Choose an area of interest within the prescribed English/History curriculum and conduct extensive research into this topic. You are encouraged to use a variety of information sources e.g. course content supplied on wiki/Moodle, CD-Rom, other texts/books, journal articles, videos/DVDs, online databases and other credible web site sources.   2) Write an essay in which you analyse and evaluate (critique) the research content of your chosen topic. You must also demonstrate your ability to use credible sources of information to support the evaluation of the research, and your ability to engage in reflective thinking and evaluation about the assignment. Assistance on how to approach the various aspects of this assignment will be provided on the wiki/Moodle and in discussion with the teacher via email or discussion forum. It is expected that you will refer to your research to support the points made within your essay.

3) No matter what source you consult, be diligent in acknowledging your sources with adequate referencing and you must be sure to be ‘critical’ users i.e. consider ho credible and relevant your information source is. You need to include a reference list of the information sources referred to in your essay. The reference style to be used is Harvard style.

4) Developing the ability to reflect on experiences is not only an important process for learning at university but is an important lifelong learning skill – reflection illuminates what has been experienced and provides a basis for future action (Raelin, 2001). To demonstrate your reflective thinking and evaluation skills you will need to write a 300-500 word reflection or produce a 2-3 minute long podcast. The reflection is to be a personal statement about what you have learned while working on and completing your assignment (including the essay, reference list, and the process of reflection) and the future implications for you as a learner. You may like to use the following prompts to structure your reflection (George-Walker, 2007).    i) What did I learn about my chosen topic and what areas interested me to conduct further or future research? ii) What did I learn about myself as a learner - what are my personal strengths and weaknesses in terms of learning and study skills, academic and scholarship skills, information literacy skills, etc that became evident as a result of completing this course? iii) Where do I go from here – given my response to the two questions above, what are my goals and strategies for improving my learning in future courses, as a future university student, and as a lifelong learner?  