What to Expect at CASE Professional Development Events

CASE Institutes last 5-10 days, depending on the course. Review the scope and sequence of each course on the CASE Registration Hub.

BriefCASE professional development events are for delivering our 9-week courses. Review the scope and sequence of each course on the CASE Registration Hub.

We understand that an agriculture teacher’s summer is jam-packed. Due to the intense nature of our events, we only allow up to 6 hours of missed time during our Institutes. If you’ll need to miss more than 6 hours, we suggest you find an alternate Institute. Those who miss more than 6 hours are at risk of not being certified. 

If you'll need to miss any portion of a BriefCASE, we suggest you find an alternate event with no time conflicts. 

This applies to both in-person and virtual events.

For virtual institutes, your time is your own once you step away from your computer. For in-person events, you are free to explore the local area during the Saturday and Sunday scheduled for the Institute. Lead Teachers and hosts often coordinate tours and social events for the weekend.

Our hosts work to find the best accommodations possible. Some universities secure dorms for the event. Others utilize a local hotel. 

Hosts assume double occupancy of rooms, meaning you will have a roommate. You can purchase a single room for an additional fee.

Full details of each institute can be found on the "More Information" link on the CASE Registration Hub.

Dress for CASE professional development is up to you, ranging from casual to business. Note that your Lead Teachers may require specific safety equipment to be packed, such as closed-toed shoes and long pants for some labs. 

Weather varies between our locations, so we encourage you to dress comfortably.

• Think like both a teacher and a student. CASE calls this "teacher hat" and "student hat".  You can benefit from walking through the lessons from both perspectives and taking notes.

• Write in your printed curriculum binder! Early during events teachers tend to keep their notebooks free of notes so they have a "fresh" copy. You can easily print new copies from MyCASE once you're back home; we suggest writing everywhere in your notebook during the event. You can keep both "teacher hat" and "student hat" ideas together in the same binder to use each year you instruct the course.

• Chances are you won't remember notes from August when finally teaching the material the next April. Even if an answer seems simple and you can complete it later, you'll be glad you finished all the conclusion questions while it was fresh on your mind. 

• Work with different people and groups (if not already asked by your Lead Teacher). Take advantage of being with educators who can share ideas and enhance learning. Some of the best learning moments come from casual, unplanned exchanging of ideas. 

• The focused and intense nature of CASE PD will save you hundreds of hours of time at school and at home over the course of the next several years. With that in mind, do your best to be present as much as possible during your event. 

• CASE cares about your mental well-being. If you're struggling during an event, our Lead Teachers and Hosts are there to support you and do whatever possible to get you certified. Share as much as is comfortable in order for us to serve you best.