CAS Experiences

Examples

Creativity, Activity, Service

CAS Experiences that relate to what you learn in the classroom

Overview

A CAS experience is a specific event in which the student engages with one or more of the three CAS strands.

CAS experience can be a single event or may be an extended series of events.

A CAS project is a collaborative series of sequential CAS experiences lasting at least one month (see the section on CAS project for additional criteria).

Typically, a student’s CAS programme combines planned/unplanned singular and ongoing experiences. All are valuable and may lead to personal development. However, a meaningful CAS programme must be more than unplanned/singular experiences. A series of planned CAS experiences are recommended for a more engaging CAS programme.

CAS experiences may incorporate one or more of the CAS strands. For example:

• Going for a mountain hike could be a singular experience within the “Activity” strand.

• A student plans a number of visits to a nursing home resulting in a series of CAS experiences within the “Service” strand.

• A group of students plan and stage a basketball tournament for the local community, resulting in a series of CAS experiences involving the strands of “Activity” and “Service”.

Guidelines to CAS experiences

The CAS coordinator assists students in understanding what may or may not be a CAS experience. There are four guidelines that should be applied to any proposed CAS experience.

A CAS experience must:

• fit within one or more of the CAS strands

• be based on a personal interest, skill, talent or opportunity for growth

• provide opportunities to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile

• not be used or included in the student’s Diploma course requirements

To further assist students in deciding on a CAS experience, the following questions may be useful for students to consider.

• Will the experience be enjoyable?

• Does the experience allow for development of personal interests, skills and/or talents?

• What new possibilities or challenges could the experience provide?

• What might be the possible consequences of your CAS experience for you, others and the environment?

• Which CAS learning outcomes may be addressed?

While it is not necessary for each CAS experience to address a CAS learning outcome, upon completion of the CAS programme, CAS students are required to present evidence demonstrating achievement of all CAS learning outcomes.