A school's experience on delivering the EP
SUPERVISING THE EXTENDED PROJECT QUALIFICATION
Introduction
The role of supervisor is key to the extended project. The supervisor is professionally responsible, through the centre coordinator, to AQA-City and Guilds for the immediate oversight of the candidate throughout the project process and for the final assessment. It is important that there is one person responsible for the whole ‘supervision and assessment’.
There will be exceptional circumstances (staff illness, change of employment, etc) that require a change of supervisor but these should be avoided as far as possible and suitable arrangements for transfer of notes/records made.
The supervisor will:
• undertake training as necessary and determined by the centre coordinator including
required administrative procedures such as project acceptance
• oversee the work of candidates throughout the project process through regular
contact in meetings or other suitable means (e.g. e-mail or bulletin board)
• keep records of their supervision as required by the centre coordinator
• develop a common understanding with other supervisors of the assessment criteria
as led by the centre coordinator
• make the final assessment and comply with any moderation procedures required by the centre coordinator.
The supervisor role as required by AQA-City and Guilds relates solely to the elements
required for quality control of the assessment of candidates on the project process (See Section 2). In many centres supervisors will have other additional roles, perhaps including a contribution to the taught element by delivering some skills teaching, some administrative responsibilities relating to organisation of presentations, etc. There is a good general introduction in QCA guidance
Introduction to the Extended Project.
General oversight. Throughout the project process the supervisor provides general oversight through regular contact with the student. This will include discussion that explores the student’s progress and current understanding of their work. Guidance can and should be given but care should be taken not to remove the autonomy of the student. Give time (between meetings as well as in them) for students to think ideas through and make their own decisions and offer direction through description of alternative approaches used in the topic area or by open questions so
that students make their own informed choices.
A basic record of supervision should be kept (dates and main topics of meetings) and
particular notes made of elements that may not be recorded by the student in their own production log but that may contribute to your final assessment (for example, the
development of a new idea that changes the direction of the project).
Such supervision will aid the student (and is also usually very enjoyable!) but is also, of course, extremely important in the professional quality control of the assessment — your assessment is based upon real knowledge of the student’s development through the project process — and also as a major preventer/detector of possible malpractice or plagiarism.
In addition to this regular contact there are some key points at which there are additional requirements at key stages. These are outlined in the following sections.
Teacher Resource Bank / Extended Project Qualification / Introduction: Supervising the Extended Project / Version 1.3 Copyright © 2009 2 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. klm
Project acceptance
The project approval process is a formal one that is overseen on behalf of AQA-City and Guilds by your centre coordinator. There is guidance in the specification and in the supervisor’s notes that accompany the production log. The supervisor’s role at this extremely important stage is to negotiate with the student, exploring fully their initial ideas, and formally confirm that this is a project you are willing to supervise and that meets the requirements of the qualification.
Mid-project review
At this stage the student should have a clear outline of their project in mind developed through initial research and skills/technique exploration. The supervisor agrees with the student the aims and objectives for completion of their project product — which may well be developed some way from the original proposal — and other necessary planning information such as, project product evidence that will be expected, submission dates and procedures, and presentation arrangements.
The student should record this in their production log but it is important that the supervisor records all agreed details. These aims and objectives become a major part of the baseline against which the candidate’s achievement will be assessed.
Presentation
There is more detailed guidance to the presentation in Section 6 of these notes. Important to stress here is that the chief contribution of the supervisor is to prepare questions to the candidate based upon the project product and the process that has created it. Appropriate notes of responses to these questions (that may be made on the Presentation Record as part of the production log or in additional pages) are an important contribution to the final assessment.
Assessment
There is a more detailed outline in Section 9 of these notes. You should be prepared for assessment, through standardising meetings or otherwise, by your centre coordinator.
Complete the Candidate Record Form with marks that are given using the criteria holistically across all the evidence available to you. Your own notes and the evidence submitted by the candidate including the log, their product and presentation details.
It is particularly important that you note the reasons for particular marks where the evidence is based upon your own knowledge of the candidate’s work that might not otherwise be evident to your centre coordinator or AQA- City and Guilds moderators.
