The Creativity, Activity, Service, commonly known as CAS, is a component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The CAS, together with TOK and Extended Essay, is a core element of the programme intended to “educate the whole person” (IBO, 2015, p. 3). Through CAS, each student in IBDP 1 (Year 11) and IBDP 2 (Year 12) participates in creative pursuits, physical activities, and civic engagement in local, national, and global contexts. According to International Baccalaureate Organization (2015), CAS, TOK, and EE should be grounded in three coherent aims, “support, and be supported by, the academic disciplines, foster international-mindedness, and develop self-awareness and a sense of identity” (p. 3). CAS has three strands, Creativity, Activity, and Service. When planning on a CAS experience, students think about which strand the experience falls. It can be one, two, or all of the strands described below.
CAS Strands
…CREATIVITY…
Creativity Experience is defined as “exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance” (IBO, 2015, p. 8). This Creativity experience could involve designing the yearbook, creating a newspaper, choreographing a dance, preparing a theatre or music performance, learning to play an instrument. Creativity is not limited to arts, music, or dance, it may also include creative thinking in planning, designing, and carrying out service projects as well.
For more examples of Creativity experience, click here.
…ACTIVITY…
Activity experience is defined as “physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle” (IBO, 2015, p. 8). This Activity experience includes participation in expeditions or camping trips, individual and team sports, and physical activities outside the academic scholastic. It may also include physical activities that are associated to carry out creative and service projects. A leadership role in outdoor education or service trips endeavor is a good opportunity for students to embark on a meaningful and worthy activity experience.
For more examples of Activity experience, click here.
…SERVICE…
Service experience is defined as “collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need” (IBO, 2015, p. 8). This strand of CAS exemplifies the most transformative component of the Diploma Programme, which is directly aligned to the mission of IB to develop caring individuals who can help create a better and more peaceful world. This Service experience involves interaction, such as the building of links with individuals or groups in the community and beyond. The community may be the school, the local community where the school resides or the student lives in, or it may exist on a state or international level. Service activities should not only involve doing things for others but doing things with others and developing an authentic commitment with them. Furthermore, students should be able to identify a real and existing need for rendering service that is beneficial and fruitful for others and fulfilling for one’s self.
For more examples of Activity experience, click here.
CAS Learning Outcomes
Every CAS student is assessed through the achievement of the seven Learning Outcomes of CAS. These Learning Outcomes are evaluated through the evidence (reflections, pictures, or videos) provided by the student in their CAS Portfolio.
Learning Outcome 1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
Learning Outcome 3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
Learning Outcome 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Learning Outcome 5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
Learning Outcome 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
Learning Outcome 7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
The CAS Coordinator, advisers or supervisors, and supporting staff, as well as students and parents, should have a common and full understanding of these seven learning outcomes to determine ways on how to achieve these through meaningful engagements. All stakeholders should understand the language and meaning of each learning outcome and consider that each student has different ways of achieving these making CAS a personalized learning experience. A more comprehensive discussion of the CAS Learning Outcomes, including their descriptors, can be found here.
CAS Connections
CAS experiences can be linked to the six subject groups in the Diploma Programme. When these experiences are connected to content knowledge learned inside the classroom, students are able to engage in deeper learning and demonstrate profound understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of concepts discussed. CAS experiences provide an opportunity for students to discover, explore, and extend learning outside their comfort zones, thereby, challenging themselves to improve, while cultivating care and compassion with their community and the world.
DP teachers can guide students to make connections between their lessons and integrate a CAS strand/s to make their learning experience more meaningful and worthy. However, these CAS experiences linked in the unit of exploration should be distinct and done beyond the course requirements of the subject areas (IBO, 2015). Through CAS Connections, students are motivated and challenged, thus, strengthening their subject understanding and knowledge. Furthermore, it makes it more fun and enjoyable for students to approach their subject learning differently. These CAS Connections are explicitly stated in the Unit Plans prepared by the IBDP teachers.
Reference:
International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). (2015 March). Creativity, Activity, Service Guide. https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/
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