By Olivia Ayes, Leader of Diploma Years
Every academic year, the ISU community re-evaluates the DP subject choices in order to provide the most relevant subjects based on our community’s wishes, our mission and vision, university requirements and our students' overall success in the DP. In recent years, we added Music (2020-21), Economics (2023-24) and, Environmental Systems and Societies (2024-25).
Offering an even more inclusive DP programme
We now decided to offer Design Technology as this hands-on subject generates incredible student engagement and interest. This also makes sense as we already offer a strong MYP Design programme with consistently higher than global average eAssessment results. With lower global mean grades (DTSL 4.0) than other sciences (>4.2), DesignTechnology could allow even more of our students to access the DiplomaProgramme.
Previous student surveys by our secondary Student Council already showed great interest in Design Technology and a recent survey of our current Grade 10's confirmed this interest, meaning adding Design Technology as a DP subject is a viable option.
Subject packages in the DP
In the Diploma Programme, students choose six subjects from the following subject groups: Language and Literature; Language Acquisition; Individuals and Societies; Sciences; Mathematics; and the Arts. Students may opt to study an additional sciences, individuals and societies, or languages subject, instead of a subject in the arts.
Design Technology (subject brief) is considered a science, meaning we will be able to offer 5 science options at both SL & HL levels(along with Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Systems & Societies), similar to other Dutch International Schools.
Design Technology is beneficial for students who aim to do architecture or industrial engineering. For these university pathways, it is crucial that students choose Design, Visual Arts, and Physics in Grade 10 as this offers them the widest range of choices in DP. However in DP they will have to select a combination of either Physics/Visual Arts, or Physics/Design Technology or Design/Visual Arts as students will need a humanities subject. There will be guidance on this in Grade 9.
Opt-out
If students choose Design in Grade 10 but decide they want to pursuit other pathways in the DP, they can “opt-out”. They can instead choose Environmental Systems and Societies or Geography, Biology or Visuals Arts, History or Music.
The Participation Council gave their consent to adding Design Technology as a DP subject choice.