The CAS programme formally begins at the start of the Diploma Programme and continues regularly, ideally on a weekly basis, for at least 18 months with a reasonable balance between Creativity, Activity, and Service. The Student’s Mentor and CAS coordinator will help monitor this.
CAS involves students in a range of enjoyable and significant experiences, as well as a CAS project. Students must undertake a CAS project that challenges them to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem solving, and decision-making.
All CAS students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS portfolio on Managebac as evidence of their engagement with CAS. The CAS portfolio is a collection of evidence that showcases CAS experiences and student reflections. It is not formally assessed, but is a requirement and must be updated regularly using Managebac.
Completion of CAS is based on student achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes. Through their CAS portfolio on Managebac, students provide UWCD and the IBO with evidence demonstrating achievement of each learning outcome.
Students use the CAS stages (investigation, preparation, action, reflection and demonstration) as a framework for CAS experiences and the CAS project.
There are three formal documented interviews with the CAS Coordinator. The first interview is at the beginning of the CAS programme (Week 2/3), the second approximately 2 weeks before the end of their DP1 year, and the third interview is in March/ April of DP2.
CAS emphasizes reflection, which is central to building a deep and rich experience in CAS. Reflection informs students’ learning and growth by allowing students to explore ideas, skills, strengths, limitations and areas for further development and consider how they may use prior learning in new contexts.
Creativity
Exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance. Creativity will come from the student’s talents, interests, passions, emotional responses, and imagination; the form of expression is limitless. This may include visual and performing arts, digital design, writing, film, culinary arts, crafts and composition. Students are encouraged to engage in creative endeavors that move them beyond the familiar, broadening their scope from conventional to unconventional thinking.
Activity
Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle. Students are encouraged to participate at an appropriate level and on a regular basis to provide a genuine challenge and benefit. Students who regularly participate in suitable activity experiences are encouraged to develop and extend their participation. Students could expand personal goals, explore different training models to enhance their existing sport or become involved in a new sport.
Service
Collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need. The aim of the “Service” strand is for students to understand their capacity to make a meaningful contribution to their community and society. Through service, our students develop and apply personal and social skills in real-life situations involving decision-making, problem-solving, initiative, responsibility, and accountability for their actions.
Four types of service action
It is recommended that our students engage with different types of service within their CAS programme. These types of action are as follows.
Direct service: Student interaction involves people, the environment or animals. For example, this can appear as one-on-one tutoring, developing a garden in partnership with those in need, or working in an animal shelter.
Indirect service: Though students do not see the recipients of indirect service, they have verified their actions will benefit the community or environment. For example, this can appear as re-designing a non-profit organization’s website, writing original picture books to teach a language, or nurturing tree seedlings for planting.
Advocacy: Students speak on behalf of a cause or concern to promote action on an issue of public interest. For example, this may appear as initiating an awareness campaign on hunger, performing a play on replacing bullying with respect, or creating a video on sustainable water solutions.
Research: Students collect information through varied sources, analyse data, and report on a topic of importance to influence policy or practice. For example, they may conduct environmental surveys to influence their school, contribute to a study of animal migration, compile effective means to reduce litter in public spaces, or conduct social research by interviewing people on topics such as homelessness, unemployment or isolation.
A CAS Project must:
Be collaborative and can address any single strand of CAS, or combine two or all three strands
Last at least one month from planning to completion
Follow the 5 CAS stages with evidence of each
Include a risk assessment
Students can initiate other projects in other areas, for example starting a new Global Concern group, choreographing a dance show, organising and choreographing a fashion show to raise money for a Global Concern group, etc.…
The duration of the CAS Project
A minimum of one month is recommended for a CAS project, from planning to completion. CAS projects of longer duration can provide even greater scope and opportunities for all participants are encouraged, if time allows and a healthy balance is struck.
How to determine if an experience is CAS?
It ‘is CAS’ if the experience
Fits in one or more strands
Is based on interests or skills
Gives an opportunity to develop the IB learner profile attributes (inquirer, knowledgeable, thinker, communicator, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-taker, balanced, reflective)
Is enjoyable
Allows reflection and growth
Allows learning outcome(s) to be addressed
It ‘is not CAS’ if the experience
Is part of the student academic programme
Is mundane, repetitive
Is part of a religious devotion or involves proselytizing
Is passive, such as visits to museums or the theatre unless relevant to a project
Has anything to do with the family, the holidays (except for organised courses, guided trekking…)
Is raising money with no particular aim
Could cause friction between community groups
Is working in an old people’s or children’s home and the student
Has no idea of how the home operates
Has no contact at all with the old people or children
Actually does no service for other people.
1 - Identifying own strengths and develop areas for personal growth
2 - Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
3 - Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
4 - Show commitment to and perseverance in your CAS experiences
5 - Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
6 - Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
7 - Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions