HOW DO I GET APPROVAL?
In order to get approval on a CAS experience you will first need to add your experience to your Managebac portfolio. In this way your coordinator/advisor will be able to see what you are planning to do and can review whether that is appropriate for CAS. Your CAS proposal needs to include the following:
- Title
- Start and End date
- Approaches
- Strands (if Service is selected also indicate type of service)
- Supervisor details
- Learning outcomes
- Description and goals (which includes project description, goal, explanation of CAS strand, link to DP subjects and core, Personal development and selection of learning outcomes, investigation)
- CAS Stages
In order to get approval on a CAS experience you will first need to add your experience to your Managebac portfolio. In this way your coordinator/advisor will be able to see what you are planning to do and can review whether that is appropriate for CAS. Your CAS proposal needs to include the following:
- Title
- Start and End date
- Approaches
- Strands (if Service is selected also indicate type of service)
- Supervisor details
- Learning outcomes
- Description and goals (which includes project description, goal, explanation of CAS strand, link to DP subjects and core, Personal development and selection of learning outcomes, investigation)
- CAS Stages
WHEN IS MY EXPERIENCE COMPLETED?
After you have been given approval, you can go ahead with your planned experience. Throughout you will need to collect evidence and write reflections in order to demonstrate your involvement in this CAS experience.
Before you ask your coordinator/advisor to check your work for completion, check whether you have done/included the following?
- Approval (indicated by the blue thumbs up symbol)
- Supervisor agreement form (uploaded as evidence)
- Supervisor review form (if completed written uploaded as evidence/if digitally it is automatically included)
- Reflection(s) on the CAS stages
- Activity log
- CAS Questions
- Evidence (photos, videos, voice recordings, links to organization websites, screenshots of email contact, planning documents, meeting notes, certificates etc.)
Your collection of reflections and evidence should show that you have done the experience, how you have done it, with who, and how you have developed the learning outcomes you have selected.
You need to ask your advisor to check your work, don't expect them to check without a message from you!
After you have been given approval, you can go ahead with your planned experience. Throughout you will need to collect evidence and write reflections in order to demonstrate your involvement in this CAS experience.
Before you ask your coordinator/advisor to check your work for completion, check whether you have done/included the following?
- Approval (indicated by the blue thumbs up symbol)
- Supervisor agreement form (uploaded as evidence)
- Supervisor review form (if completed written uploaded as evidence/if digitally it is automatically included)
- Reflection(s) on the CAS stages
- Activity log
- CAS Questions
- Evidence (photos, videos, voice recordings, links to organization websites, screenshots of email contact, planning documents, meeting notes, certificates etc.)
Your collection of reflections and evidence should show that you have done the experience, how you have done it, with who, and how you have developed the learning outcomes you have selected.
You need to ask your advisor to check your work, don't expect them to check without a message from you!
WHERE SHOULD I KEEP MY CAS PORTFOLIO?
You need to keep your CAS portfolio in Managebac, you will start creating it as soon as you begin you CAS programme. Here you will record your evidence, categories it by experiences and keep an overview of different aspects completed.
You need to keep your CAS portfolio in Managebac, you will start creating it as soon as you begin you CAS programme. Here you will record your evidence, categories it by experiences and keep an overview of different aspects completed.
WHAT DO I INCLUDE FROM MY SUPERVISOR?
First of all you include your supervisor details in your proposal, ask your supervisor to read the supervisor letter and sign the supervisor agreement form. After he/she has signed the document, you will scan it in and upload it to the reflections and evidence tab. After your experience is done, and you have uploaded all your reflections and further evidence you'll need your supervisor to review your work, you can ask them if they want to do it digitally or on paper.
Digitally:
On the worksheet of your experience you see a button 'REQUEST SUPERVISOR REVIEW', if you click it is will send an automatic email to your supervisor asking them to fill out the form digitally. Ones they have done this it will be included in your portfolio.
On paper, ask the CAS coordinator for a copy of the document!
First of all you include your supervisor details in your proposal, ask your supervisor to read the supervisor letter and sign the supervisor agreement form. After he/she has signed the document, you will scan it in and upload it to the reflections and evidence tab. After your experience is done, and you have uploaded all your reflections and further evidence you'll need your supervisor to review your work, you can ask them if they want to do it digitally or on paper.
Digitally:
On the worksheet of your experience you see a button 'REQUEST SUPERVISOR REVIEW', if you click it is will send an automatic email to your supervisor asking them to fill out the form digitally. Ones they have done this it will be included in your portfolio.
On paper, ask the CAS coordinator for a copy of the document!
HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER I'M ON-TRACK?
On your CAS portfolio page you should be able to see a overall progress indicator, this indicates whether you are on-track or on 'concern'.
These indicators are changed at least 4x per school year, when the report card go out, so it is important that when you start doubting whether you are still on-track to make an appointment with you advisor!
You can also do a little check yourself, go to 'understanding CAS' and read through the requirements, are you still on track with these requirements and/or are you still able to achieve these? If yes, you are probably on the right track, if not go talk with your advisor or make an appointment with the CAS coordinator.
On your CAS portfolio page you should be able to see a overall progress indicator, this indicates whether you are on-track or on 'concern'.
These indicators are changed at least 4x per school year, when the report card go out, so it is important that when you start doubting whether you are still on-track to make an appointment with you advisor!
You can also do a little check yourself, go to 'understanding CAS' and read through the requirements, are you still on track with these requirements and/or are you still able to achieve these? If yes, you are probably on the right track, if not go talk with your advisor or make an appointment with the CAS coordinator.
HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD I DO FOR CAS?
Your completion of CAS is not based on any hours. The CAS programme is not about hour counting, but about meaningful, enjoyable and learnful experiences.
But it is advised that you spend 3-5 hours on your CAS programme per week!
Your completion of CAS is not based on any hours. The CAS programme is not about hour counting, but about meaningful, enjoyable and learnful experiences.
But it is advised that you spend 3-5 hours on your CAS programme per week!
CAN I DO THIS FOR CAS?
Please check your ideas first by looking at the diagrams in the first step of 'process of experience/project'. This will give you good idea whether it could be CAS or not! But make sure that the CAS strand is applicable, it is important that you understand the definition of each strand. If the idea does not fit in with the definition it can't be used for that strand. You can find more specific details about each CAS strand and their definition on this page.
Please check your ideas first by looking at the diagrams in the first step of 'process of experience/project'. This will give you good idea whether it could be CAS or not! But make sure that the CAS strand is applicable, it is important that you understand the definition of each strand. If the idea does not fit in with the definition it can't be used for that strand. You can find more specific details about each CAS strand and their definition on this page.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I MEET WITH MY ADVISOR?
You will meet at least ones every month! You can see this in the timeline. These meetings will take place during the 7th hour on Thursday, unless your advisor makes a different appointment with you. You can of course meet more frequently, discuss this with your advisor.
You will meet at least ones every month! You can see this in the timeline. These meetings will take place during the 7th hour on Thursday, unless your advisor makes a different appointment with you. You can of course meet more frequently, discuss this with your advisor.
WHEN AM I DONE WITH CAS?
You won't be done with CAS until you have completed all the requirements and your CAS programme is ticked off as completed on ManageBac. The earliest you can finish with CAS is at the End of April DP 2.
You won't be done with CAS until you have completed all the requirements and your CAS programme is ticked off as completed on ManageBac. The earliest you can finish with CAS is at the End of April DP 2.
WHY DO WE HAVE DO TO CAS?
That is actually a valid and very important question that I often hear at the start of DP 1.
As you probably know CAS is at the Core of the IB DP programme together with the EE and TOK. CAS is an addition to the academic programme that you follow in the DP. You won't learn everything there is to learn during these years in your life in your subjects. CAS will provide you with the opportunity to explore your own interests, skills and talents further and to get to know your local community.
I often hear back from students that have followed the DP programme that CAS has helped them to find new interests, find out about talents that they had not identified before. They claim that the reflection part that you do in CAS actually give you a head start at university or in your future education, they notice to students that did not follow IB DP are less skilled in reflection, which is a very important and often used skill in the future.
Getting to appreciate the CAS programme often comes at the end of DP 1, looking back at what you have achieved and learned through the first year.
That is actually a valid and very important question that I often hear at the start of DP 1.
As you probably know CAS is at the Core of the IB DP programme together with the EE and TOK. CAS is an addition to the academic programme that you follow in the DP. You won't learn everything there is to learn during these years in your life in your subjects. CAS will provide you with the opportunity to explore your own interests, skills and talents further and to get to know your local community.
I often hear back from students that have followed the DP programme that CAS has helped them to find new interests, find out about talents that they had not identified before. They claim that the reflection part that you do in CAS actually give you a head start at university or in your future education, they notice to students that did not follow IB DP are less skilled in reflection, which is a very important and often used skill in the future.
Getting to appreciate the CAS programme often comes at the end of DP 1, looking back at what you have achieved and learned through the first year.
CAS IS NOT ENJOYABLE, WHY?
If your CAS is not enjoyable you have done something wrong. You have written your own programme, and you should make it enjoyable for yourself by selecting experiences that your are interested in. If you are not enjoying CAS, please go talk with your advisor about how you can make it more enjoyable for yourself.
If your CAS is not enjoyable you have done something wrong. You have written your own programme, and you should make it enjoyable for yourself by selecting experiences that your are interested in. If you are not enjoying CAS, please go talk with your advisor about how you can make it more enjoyable for yourself.