Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma Programme. It is one of the three essential elements of the DP Core at every student’s Diploma Programme experience. It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular experiences, are :
Creativity: Creativity in CAS provides students with the opportunity to explore their own sense of original thinking and expression. Creative experiences can range from the traditional visual and performing arts, such as acting, sculpting or playing an instrument, to creating websites and blogs, to creating fundraising action plans and other complex systems.
Activity: The aim of the “Activity” strand is to promote lifelong healthy habits related to physical well-being. Activity experiences are considered to be physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.
Service: Service is an opportunity to give back to our community by helping others. Service experiences are unpaid and voluntary exchanges that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.
CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma Programme. A good CAS programme should be both challenging and enjoyable, a personal journey of self‑discovery. Each individual student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many their CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life‑changing.
For student development to occur, CAS should involve:
Creativity: Creativity in CAS provides students with the opportunity to explore their own sense of original thinking and expression. Creative experiences can range from the traditional visual and performing arts, such as acting, sculpting or playing an instrument, to creating websites and blogs, to creating fundraising action plans and other complex systems.
Activity: The aim of the “Activity” strand is to promote lifelong healthy habits related to physical well-being. Activity experiences are considered to be physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.
Service: Service is an opportunity to give back to our community by helping others. Service experiences are unpaid and voluntary exchanges that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.
CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma Programme. A good CAS programme should be both challenging and enjoyable, a personal journey of self‑discovery. Each individual student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many their CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life‑changing.
For student development to occur, CAS should involve:
- real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
- personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope
- thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting
- reflection on outcomes and personal learning.
All proposed CAS activities need to meet these four criteria. It is also essential that they do not replicate other parts of the student’s Diploma Programme work.
Concurrency of learning is important in the Diploma Programme. Therefore, CAS activities should continue on a regular basis for as long as possible throughout the programme, and certainly for at least 18 months.
Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB diploma. CAS is not formally assessed but students need to document their activities and provide evidence that they have achieved eight key learning outcomes. A school’s CAS programme is regularly monitored by the relevant regional office.
Concurrency of learning is important in the Diploma Programme. Therefore, CAS activities should continue on a regular basis for as long as possible throughout the programme, and certainly for at least 18 months.
Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB diploma. CAS is not formally assessed but students need to document their activities and provide evidence that they have achieved eight key learning outcomes. A school’s CAS programme is regularly monitored by the relevant regional office.