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CAS advisors provide the vital ongoing contact for a student. It is vital for CAS advisors to have sufficient contact time with students. Their role includes:
Educate students on all aspects of the CAS programme, advise and monitor their progress towards meeting the CAS learning outcomes
Assist students in identifying personal and group goals
Periodically review students’ CAS portfolios and provide ongoing guidance and support to them in regular meetings
Provide feedback on student reflections
Monitor the range and balance of experiences undertaken by individuals
Meet each student in three formal documented interviews (Approx' 7 to 10 mins each)
Check the CAS advisor handbook
Approve the experience in ManageBac
WHAT ARE CAS INTERVIEWS?
WHAT ARE CAS INTERVIEWS?
CAS interviews are important in the CAS process and serve as a means of:
Checking and reinforcing student understanding of CAS
Assisting students to consider whether they are enjoying CAS and maximizing the opportunities and possibilities of CAS
Ensuring students know about available resources to support them in CAS
Giving students an opportunity to reflect upon their CAS experiences to date
Inviting students to show evidence of achieving CAS learning outcomes
Allowing students to discuss CAS successes and ways of meeting challenges
Reviewing and monitoring student progress.
A CAS interview allows the student and interviewer to pursue topics in more depth than possible with a recorded or written reflection. The interviews also allow for meaningful feedback to occur, which is critical for the learner.
Aside from the three scheduled interviews (one at the beginning of DP year 1, one in the later stages of DP year 1, and one in the final stages of DP year 2), informal discussions can be held with students throughout the programme.
Such informal discussions can provide CAS coordinators and CAS advisers with an opportunity to support students in their CAS efforts and be aware of any common challenges among students or identify skills that may be lacking. This can lead to providing targeted information or resources.
For all CAS discussions, including the three interviews, consider the importance of establishing and growing trust between the student and interviewer. If students sense the interview is a form of interrogation, they are likely to be less forthcoming. The aim is for a relaxed atmosphere so the exchange is friendly and encouraging.
As indicated in the CAS guide, the CAS coordinator/adviser is required to take notes from the three formal interviews that are shared with the student and stored for later reference. These notes can include evidence of achievement in the learning outcomes, any concerns, recommendations for planning, highlights of the student’s programme to date, and advice for future planning and participation. In this way the interviews can serve as a review for the student of both the short- and long-term process and highlights of their CAS journey.
First interview
DP Year 1 Semester 1
Purpose
Gauge student's understanding CAS
Find out interests of student
Discuss student's plans for CAS experiences review the learning outcomes of CAS, ensuring their understanding and seeing how student might achieve these outcomes
Ensure student is aware ways to gather evidence CAS.
Second Interview
DP Year 1 Semester 2
Purpose
Discuss advancements in student's engagement with CAS
Provide oversight regarding student's progress towards fulfilling CAS requirements
Discuss collection of CAS evidence
Provide the opportunity for the student to reflect verbally on their CAS involvement
Third Interview
DP Year 2 Semester 2
Purpose
Outline how students have achieved their CAS learning outcomes
Guide students to reflect on personal growth from multiple perspectives including enjoyment, personal awareness and development, achievements and challenges, larger understandings about the world around them, and how this experience might impact future choices and actions.
Encourage self-evaluation regarding what has been beneficial that may truly lead to lifelong integration of creativity, activity and service
Interview questions for CAS
First Interview
Do you have any questions or concerns about CAS?
Which aspect of the programme excites you the most? Which aspect seems most challenging?
What do you most hope to achieve from CAS?
How do you think your CAS programme will enable you to grow? How do these areas of growth apply to attributes of the IB learner profile?
What have you learned about the CAS stages, and how can the stages help you in CAS?
How will you plan for an equal distribution of CAS strands across your CAS experiences?
What organizational and time-management strategies do you have in place to ensure that CAS remains an ongoing focus of your IB journey?
Second Interview
What has been most enjoyable and beneficial for you thus far in CAS?
What has been a highlight of creativity? Activity? Service?
What do you hope to achieve most from CAS? How can you do this?
When have you investigated, prepared and taken action so far in creativity, activity and/or service, or with your CAS project?
What have you developed for your CAS project—your goals, who are you collaborating with, whether the project involves creativity, activity and/or service, your roles and responsibilities, and your progress to date?
What have been the biggest challenges for your CAS involvement, and how have you overcome them?
What difficulty has been the hardest to overcome? Where might you need support at this time?
Have you ensured an equal balance across the three CAS strands? If not, how will you rectify this?
Third Interview
What did you most enjoy about CAS?
Did you manage to reach your goals?
What was your greatest challenge in CAS? How did you overcome this?
What have you achieved through CAS?
What have you learned about balancing your time with your choices and commitments?
How did knowing the CAS stages assist you? Where else can you apply these CAS stages in future learning or in life in general?
How do you already apply what you have learned from CAS in your daily life? How can this continue as you make future choices?
Looking ahead, have any new goals emanated from your CAS programme?
How did you integrate the three CAS strands in your overall programme?
Describe your CAS project: how you planned, who collaborated, your roles and responsibilities and the results of your collaboration. How were your expectations met or exceeded?
CLOSING
What could be improved about the way CAS is organized in school?
What advice do you have for upcoming CAS students regarding making CAS enjoyable, sustained over time and meaningful?
Five years from now, what will you remember most about your CAS programme?
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