CAS at ISU: CAS Project

A CAS project is a collaborative, well-considered series of sequential CAS experiences, engaging students in one or more of the CAS strands of creativity, activity, and service. CAS students must be involved in at least one CAS project during their CAS programme.

• The primary purpose of the CAS project is to ensure participation in sustained collaboration. 
• A CAS project offers students the opportunity to be responsible for, or to initiate, a part of or the entire CAS project. 
• All CAS projects should use the CAS stages as a framework for implementation to ensure that all requirements are met.
• A CAS project can address any single strand of CAS, or combine two or all three strands.
• Individual students identify one or more learning outcomes to further guide their role and responsibilities in 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 and should be encouraged. Students should aim to undertake their CAS project locally and, if possible, engage in more than one CAS project over the duration of their CAS programme.

Investigation: Students identify their interests, skills and talents to be used in considering opportunities for CAS experiences, as well as areas for personal growth and development. For a service project, investigation also includes researching the need for the service. Students investigate what they want to do and determine the purpose for their CAS project.

Preparation:  Preparation includes students clarifying roles and responsibilities, developing a plan of steps to be taken, identifying specified resources and timelines, and acquiring any skills as needed to engage successfully in the CAS project.

Action: Students implement their idea or plan. This often requires decision-making, problem-solving and most importantly collaboration. Students put their ideas for a CAS project into action; they implement what they set out to do.

Reflection: During meaningful reflection, students describe what happened, express feelings, generate ideas and raise questions. Reflection is ongoing (via MB) during the CAS project, to assist with revising plans, to learn from the experience and to make explicit connections between their growth, accomplishments and the learning outcomes for personal awareness. Reflection may lead to new action.

Demonstration: Students make explicit what and how they learned and what they have accomplished, for example. This can be done through their CAS portfolio on MB, but ideally they will present their project at the Core evening in the spring of DP2. Through demonstration and communication, students solidify their understanding and evoke responses from others.