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International Baccalaureate
An international educational foundation
The International Baccalaureate (IB) (www.ibo.org) is an international educational foundation founded in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland. It offers high quality educational programmes to a global community of more than 2,800 schools in 137 countries. The IB is widely known for its Diploma Programme, a pre-university programme of curriculum and assessment for students aged 16-19. The IB also offers programmes for younger students: the IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 12, and the IB Middle Years Programme, for ages 11 to 16.
Currently, over 2,000 IB World Schools in some 120 countries offer the Diploma Programme. The number of schools offering the Diploma Programme has grown rapidly over the past five years. Still, not every student has access to an IB education, and even for students who are fortunate enough to attend an IB World School, access to the broad IB curriculum may be limited. No school can offer the full spectrum of more than 200 subjects for which examinations are conducted. The IB is strongly committed to increasing access - to the Diploma Programme itself and to the fullest possible range of courses within the curriculum.
The Diploma Programme Online: Past, Present and Future
The IB believes that quality online course offerings can play an important role in increasing access. Through online courses, students gain access to a wider range of Diploma Programme subjects, and more students will be encouraged to pursue the full IB diploma.
It was with access in mind that the IB launched the “DP Online” initiative in 2004. A “proof of concept” online course in Economics was completed in May 2006 with encouraging results. This Standard Level course was developed by an experienced teacher in an IB World School and taught over a two-year period to 11 students
from four IB World Schools in North and South America. All the students completed the end-of-course IB examination with an average grade of 6 out of a total of 7. In comparison, the mean grade for all students that studied economics over two years was 5.3. While not relevant on a statistical level, these results showed that a
well-designed and well-delivered online course could provide outstanding preparation for IB assessments. Moreover, students found the international character and breadth of perspectives in the course highly stimulating
and beneficial. In the words of one student in the pilot course: “Having students from different countries allowed for greater diversity and sharing of ideas.”
Between 2006 and 2009, a number of additional pilots were conducted and in 2008 the IB recognized that full-scale implementation of its vision required substantial investment and shared commitment to a larger vision. That’s where Pamoja Education came in.
Pamoja Education and the IB have reached an agreement whereby Pamoja will develop and offer a wider range of online Diploma Programme courses over the next ten years. Starting with four courses in September 2009, Pamoja Education will offer eight courses beginning in September 2010. The IB looks forward to working with Pamoja Education to provide greater subject choice for IB World Schools and their students, and greater access to the IB Diploma Programme worldwide.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2010. For more information on the International Baccalaureate, go to www.ibo.org
