I. Course description
Systems Transformation: Leadership for Change is an innovative 300-hour pilot course co-developed by the
IB and the United World College of Southeast Asia (UWCSEA). It seeks to equip students with the skills and
mindsets needed to take initiative, build community, and lead change.
Young people can be powerful agents for positive change and social justice, capable of astonishing impact
and influence. This pilot course focuses on building skills for changemaking through a transdisciplinary
curriculum that draws on key elements of systems thinking, design thinking, leadership and project
management.
Classes for this course are structured around taught content, shared experiences and inquiry, including
collaborative and individual projects, deep dives to promote specific skills development and deepen
understanding, structured peer feedback sessions, and dialogue with mentors and community partners.
II. Subject requirements
For this pilot, students are required to select three HL subjects and one SL subject to study alongside the
systems transformation course and the three core elements. To ensure that a reasonable breadth of
study is maintained, this selection must include:
-
At least one subject from the studies in language and literature or language acquisition subject groups
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No more than two subjects across the language and literature and language acquisition subject groups
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At least one subject from the sciences or mathematics subject groups
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A maximum of two subjects from any subject group
III. Course aims
The aims of the Systems Transformation: Leadership for Change course are to:
-
equip students with the skills, mindsets and resilience needed to be effective changemakers
-
cultivate approaches to problem-solving that are iterative, empathetic and flexible, and that
leverage transdisciplinary expertise to generate innovative solutions
-
equip students with a range of systems thinking tools to map and model interconnected systems,
recognize complexity, and understand root causes and context
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develop leadership skills including strategies to leverage networks, empower others to effect
positive change, and cultivate collaborative team environments
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foster the skills to effectively plan, organize and implement positive change initiatives
IV. Curriculum overview
Curriculum Strands
Transdisciplinary projects
Changemaker Mindset - what
changemaking is, mindsets for effective
changemaking, and the context in which
changemakers currently operate
Design Thinking - how to problem-solve
and innovate in a human-centred way
Systems Thinking - what systems are, how
they work and interconnect, and why
systems thinking is a powerful lens for
changemaking
Leading for Positive Change - strategies
for leading others to effect positive
change, including communication and
collaboration skills
Project Management - how to plan,
organise and implement positive change
initiatives
The curriculum strands are explored
through a project-based approach where
students actively investigate complex real-
world challenges and questions.
Each project is developed using at least one
of the following project lenses, drawn from
the UWCSEA mission:
Sustainable Development - using the lens
of sustainability to plan and implement
projects
Peacebuilding - what peace can look like
and what being a peacebuilder means
Intercultural Understanding - how
intercultural competence supports
teamwork and dialogue
V. Assessment overview
This pilot utilizes a range of authentic assessment formats that reflect the action-oriented nature and
real-world focus of the course. This includes case study, project and portfolio based assessment tasks.
Two of the four tasks (an impact analysis and a curated extract from a competencies portfolio) are
externally assessed by the IB. The other two tasks (a comparative case study and a project proposal) are
internally assessed and externally moderated by the IB.
This 300-hour pilot course is a dual award course that takes the place of two 150-hour SL subjects. The
course is graded on the same 1-7 scale as other IB subjects, and the student is awarded two identical
grades based on their performance across the systems transformation course as a whole.
VI. Assessment model
Type of assessment
Format of assessment
Weighting of
final grade (%)
External
50
Impact analysis
Students plan and undertake a self-directed
project focused on a real-world issue of their
choice. They write a project report focused on the
project’s impact on the community and the
progress made towards the intended goals.
30
Competencies portfolio
Students curate and annotate four artefacts from
their course portfolio. These artefacts evidence
the development of competencies relating to
leadership and changemaker mindsets.
20
Internal
50
Comparative case study
Students undertake a comparative case study
analysis. Part A of this task consists of a
collaborative group activity where students engage
with a case study produced by the IB. Part B of this
task consists of an individual presentation of their
comparative analysis.
20
Project proposal
Students create an individual project proposal
which is pitched to a panel audience for feedback.
The project proposal write-up includes a systems
map and has a particular focus on knowledge,
skills and understandings associated with project
management.
30
For further information on the IB Diploma Programme, visit: www.ibo.org/en/dp
For further information about UWCSEA, visit: https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg
For more on how the DP prepares students for success at university, visit: www.ibo.org/en/university-
admission