IB DP: Digital Society: 5. HL Extension: Extended Inquiries

Conducting Your Digital Society Extended Inquiry

In the Digital Society HL extension, students conduct Extended Inquiries to address challenge topics and interventions in digital society. Digital Society HL Extended Inquiries should start from the beginning of the course and may be standalone activities or build on an inquiry shared with SL students. Collaboration in Extended Inquiries may take the form, for example, of sustained inquiry shared among multiple HL students with particular interests in different course concepts and/or contexts. The goal is for students to develop a challenge mindset and team-based approach to the HL extension. During extended inquiries, practical and design-oriented formative activities are an effective way to test and prototype intervention ideas and approaches to challenge topics.

STAGE ONE: Create an extended inquiry focus

Students create an extended inquiry focus that integrates a prescribed area for inquiry from one of the challenge topics.

5.1 Global well-being

Local and global inequalities
Changing populations
The future of work

5.2 Governance and human rights

Conflict, peace and security
Participation and representation
Diversity and discrimination

5.3 Sustainable development

Climate change and action
Use of resources
Managing pollution and waste

STAGE TWO: Explore and investigate challenges

Students explore sources and investigate their extended inquiry focus by considering some of the following questions.

What is the relationship between digital systems and this challenge?
What is the nature and scope of this challenge in digital society?
What course concepts, content and contexts will be most helpful to consider with this challenge?
How does this challenge manifest itself at local and global levels?
Who are the specific people and communities affected by this challenge?
What are some impacts and implications related to this challenge?

STAGE THREE: Identify interventions

As part of the HL extension framework, students must identify at least one intervention for each prescribed area for inquiry.

Interventions studied in the HL extension must involve digital systems, but they do not need to always refer to discrete devices, services, apps or platforms. A policy or rule change, for example, may also be considered as an intervention that involves digital systems. Intervention categories may overlap and inform one another, but each identified intervention must lend itself to a sustained investigation involving specific people and/or communities. Interventions may fall into one or more of the categories:

Mitigates ~ The intervention mitigates or reduces negative aspects relevant to a challenge.
Intercedes ~ The intervention intercedes to change a process and/or trend contributing to negative aspects relevant to the challenge.
Enhances ~ The intervention enhances positive or effective aspects relevant to a challenge.
Resolves ~ The intervention resolves negative aspects relevant to a challenge.

STAGE FOUR: Evaluate interventions and recommend steps for future action

As part of the HL extension framework, students must evaluate at least one intervention for prescribed area for inquiry and consider recommended steps for future action.

Equity:

Does the intervention equitably address the needs, claims and interests of specific people and/or communities affected by the challenge?
This may involve, for example, considerations of fairness, inclusion and reciprocity.
What are the recommended steps to address inequities?
How could the intervention be made more equitable for more people?

Acceptability:

Do specific affected people and/or communities view the intervention as acceptable?
This may involve, for example, considerations of accountability and transparency for people and communities.
What are the recommended steps to address the acceptability of the intervention for the affected people and/or communities in question?
How could the intervention be made more accountable and transparent?

Cost:

What are the financial, social, cultural and environmental costs associated with the intervention?
Do these costs outweigh the benefits of the intervention?
What are the recommended steps to address costs to ensure a better balance with the benefits of the intervention?

Feasibility:

Is the intervention technically, socially and politically feasible?
What are some of the current or emerging barriers to implementing the intervention?
What are the recommended steps to address some of these barriers?

Innovation:

Is the intervention innovative in its approach or has this approach been unsuccessfully attempted before?
What type of innovation is the intervention? For instance, an incremental, sustaining and/or disruptive innovation?
What are the recommended steps to adapt or refine the intervention to avoid risks, failures or limitations?

Ethics:

Is the intervention ethically sound?
How and who determines the ethical status of the intervention?
What are the recommended steps to ensure that the intervention is developed and/or used in an ethical manner?

By the end of the course, students must be able to identify, analyse and evaluate an intervention for each challenge topic. Students must also be able to recommend steps for future action in response to an unseen intervention.

Sample extended inquiry interventions

The following are possible examples of interventions that students might consider during extended inquiries into prescribed areas of this challenge topic.

A science organization provides a live-streaming feed of ice-shelf activity to raise awareness of climate change.
A company offers a 3D printing service for customers to design housing goods using recycled plastic.
A digital artist promotes circular economy principles with an augmented reality app that visualizes the waste implications of common purchases.