Become a persevering student with initiative and problem solving skills.

Become a persevering student with initiative and problem solving skills.

Feb 10, 2023 | Academic quality

By Jaime Pérez Merino

Student of Prepa IB of the Universidad de Celaya

4th semester - June 2022

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) is one of the three core elements that all IB students must complete as part of the IB Diploma Programme (DP); you can also identify it as a subject that is at the heart of the IB Diploma Programme along with two other subjects: Theory of Knowledge(TOK ) and Extended Essay (EE).

With this article I intend to present you the reasons why it is worth being an IB student thanks to the benefits that CAS gives you or, as some young people describe it, the best bit of the IB Diploma... read on and I'll tell you more !

We can describe CAS as a subject that motivates young students, like you and me, to show initiative, perseverance and to develop collaboration, problem solving and decision making skills; it helps us to live new experiences. In my case, I can tell you that I have had the advantage of discovering how important it is to recycle oil, since it is very harmful to the environment; I have also made a vegetable garden at home, which has allowed me to discover skills that I did not know I had and I was able to acquire new knowledge about the growth cycle of a plant, an experience that gave me the responsibility of care and monitoring. These two CAS activities that I give you as an example, did not take me one or two months to complete, but took me at least six months during which I learned about the responsibility of giving continuity to a project and also taught me to be persevering in order to achieve a more real learning based on experience.

Experiential learning supports personal and interpersonal development, while fostering important skills, such as: critical and abstract thinking, memory, stress management, etc... and social competencies, such as: communication, active listening, cordiality or friendliness, which positively shape and enrich IB students.

But to understand CAS from its formal definition, let's start from the fact that it is divided into three areas, Creativity, Activity and Service:

Creativity: refers to the exploration and expansion of ideas that lead to an original or interpretive product or performance. You can learn to play a musical instrument, for example. 

Activity: has to do with physical exertion that contributes to a healthy lifestyle. You can practice the sport of your choice. 

Service: it is related to the collaborative and reciprocal participation with the community in response to a real need. You can help foundations, homes or any civil association.

Having the CAS subject gives IB Diploma Programme students benefits for life, even after university... Yes, you read that right! these will last forever and I list them below:

  • It gives a practical sense to those who do not have a theoretical or scientific point of comparison.
  • It leads to self-knowledge.
  • It may exceed the logical.

Every IB Diploma Programme student must do both CAS projects and live CAS experiences, because experiences are individual, and projects are in teams. Both experiences and projects help us to be inquirers, bold, collaborative and informed. The experiences you choose can be of any CAS letter, but the projects are obligatorily of Service and some other letter, but the benefits will be the same. For example, an experience can be to learn to knit and a project would be to make a collection of clothes to donate to a specific place.

Benefits of CAS

With the time I have spent in the IB Diploma Program, I can share with you the following benefits that I value from my personal experience and that I have acquired through the CAS subject matter or even skills that I have strengthened through the work I have put into my experiences and projects as an IB student:

  • You choose what you want to do, because the teacher gives you ideas about experiences, but in the end you are the one who decides what you want to work on, what your goals will be and, ultimately, how you want to leave your mark on the world, making it a better place. 
  • It allows you to improve skills, such as: perseverance, self-management, collaborative work, creativity, etc...
  • It de-stresses and inspires you.
  • It allows you to live new experiences; for example, you can go to do community work at a home or a nursing home, and learn what they do there and how you can help them achieve their goals.
  • You organize your own time, working hours are up to you.
  • Freedom, because you decide the days on which you want to carry out your CAS responsibilities.
  • Independence, since the teacher gives you the forms to fill out, but you are the one who does the work; that is, the teacher only guides you if you feel confused, but you advance at your own pace.
  • Reflection on your actions; for example, you realize the global impact that some products you consume or use in your daily life can have.
  • You develop communication skills, collaboration and trust. 
  • You get out of your comfort zone, because you go out into the real world and learn based on experimentation, rather than just based on theory.
  • It is challenging and rewarding.
  • Personal development, because you know yourself better, as you improve your own qualities, such as empathy and leadership.

CAS makes you reflect on your impact on society

During the CAS course, all IB students must complete a portfolio with both evidence and reflections that demonstrate their work in this program that they develop during the semester.

In addition, you can make your blogs in different ways; for example, I write poems when I write my blogs, other colleagues make stories with morals and even some make works of art (draw or paint), the important thing is to reflect on how you are leaving your mark on your community through your actions, but the format in which you do it is your decision.

Ideas for experiences/projects you can do at CAS

Now I would like to share with you some ideas of CAS projects and/or experiences if you are considering becoming a high performance IB student, hoping they will be very useful for you when it is your turn to live the experience:

In the field of Creativity, you can do activities such as:

  • Learning to cook or bake
  • Learning to play a musical instrument
  • Making a magazine
  • Writing and illustrating a children's book
  • Writing a cookbook
  • Drawing or painting
  • Create a blog
  • Writing a novel or short story
  • Create a travel vlog
  • Making a stop motion video
  • Learning to apply make-up
  • Make your own jigsaw puzzle
  • Create your own jewelry
  • Learning a choreography
  • Learning to dance a style of music

And any other activity that you can think of that can benefit the community; have you already done any service activity in which you seek to benefit the common good? How have you felt about this type of experience?

Undoubtedly, the great advantage of CAS is that it will allow you to discover and understand your own competencies (skills, knowledge and attitudes), enhance them and put them at the service of others to make the difference you want to see in the world; see why some call it the best bit of the IB Diploma? Because from your passions, hobbies and love for helping others you have the opportunity to leave an important mark in your environment. Being IB is worth it!

If you are interested in receiving more information about the IB Diploma Program at the University of Celaya, please contact us at https://www.udec.edu.mx/prepa–uni/ or to answer any questions or concerns that you or your parents may have about this program, please feel free to contact the IB Diploma Program Coordinator at Uni de Celaya: Alejandra Núñez via email at: alenugo@udec.edu.mx or by phone +52 (461) 613 90 99 Ext. 1411. 

Bibliographic References

CAS project guidance. (2014, October 24). International Baccalaureate®.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject synopsis (n. d.). Retrieved February 2, 2023, from.

https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/casspanish-final-web.pdf

IB Revising (2020, February 17). 100 CAS Ideas (from past IB Students) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnBUy9M2uVE

Why choose IB: 10 reasons to study the International Baccalaureate diploma in high school (2020, December 22). EF Blog Mexico.

Education, E. D. E. E. E. (2022, November 14). Definition and benefits of experiential learning. VIU.       https://www.universidadviu.com/co/actualidad/nuestrosexperts/definition–And–benefits–from–apprenticeship–experiential Juan, D. S. (n. d.). Empirical knowledge - Revista Cero Grados. https://0grados.com/conocimiento–empirical/

Become a persevering student with initiative and problem solving skills.

FIMPES awards academic integrity distinction to Universidad de Celaya

Feb 3, 2022 | Academic quality, Values

The Federation of Private Mexican Institutions of Higher Education awarded the Level I (Transparency) distinction for academic integrity to Universidad de Celaya for the institution's efforts in implementing a culture of integrity at all levels of the organization.

This first phase award was achieved thanks to the results of the anonymous diagnosis of at least 30% of the undergraduate students where the level of commitment of the HEIs to the promotion of academic integrity is determined.

Thank you very much and congratulations to the entire university community, we will continue working in the following phases with the confidence and commitment that this is the result of what is lived in the institution daily through the contribution of each of the members, teachers and students.

Source: https://www.fimpes.org.mx/images/documento/IA/FlipbookIA/index.html

Students certified by CONOCER

Nov 9, 2021 | Academic quality, Link

The students of the Bachelor's Degree in Systemic Psychology, Salvador, Andrea and Jesús, received their CONOCER certificate for having accredited the ECO217 Certification for the delivery of human capital training courses in a face-to-face group setting, which includes the substantive functions of preparing, conducting and evaluating training courses based on quality standards in force in the country. 

With this certificate our students accredit their knowledge, skills and attitudes in the field of training that is relevant to their work performance in any of the areas of specialization: labor, educational or clinical.

The certificate is endorsed by the National Council for Standardization and Certification of Labor Competencies (CONOCER), an organization of which the University of Celaya is a certifying entity, providing constant training and certification opportunities to our university community and the population of our region.

Prepa Uni IB students achieve outstanding IB Diploma results

Jul 23, 2021 | Academic quality, Academic Excellence Uni

Thanks to the high commitment of the students and the preparation provided by the teachers, the 2021 Generation of Prepa Uni IB achieved its highest result in the International Baccalaureate Diploma program, obtaining 4.83 as the average mean score of our students, surpassing the world average score of 4.43.

Academic quality is at the core of Prepa Uni's philosophy and on the road to excellence the educational system of the Universidad de Celaya has been strengthened with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (DP) that trains students, between the ages of 16 and 19, with an excellent breadth and depth of knowledge, while growing physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically, giving them the tools to access any university in Mexico and abroad.

The evaluation used a dual model and included content from subjects such as literature, business management, monograph, biology, mathematical analysis, theory of knowledge, theater and visual arts. The International Baccalaureate Diploma program allows students to live a learning experience where they learn and share with young people from all over the world, raising their academic level and developing other personal skills that transcend in their lives.

Created in 1968, the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Program has the recognition and respect of the world's leading universities, guaranteeing better performance in higher education than those who do not take the program, Prepa Uni is the only one in the region that officially offers the International Baccalaureate.

Programs of the Universidad de Celaya accredit their academic quality.

Jul 20, 2021 | Academic quality, Academic Excellence Uni

Universidad de Celaya aims to be a learning community that distinguishes itself for its academic quality and for providing its students with an exceptional educational experience that inspires them to positively transform the world of this century. 

That is why one of the commitments of this University is the continuous improvement of its study programs through strategic and periodic updating, as well as certifications through external national and international organizations.

Recently, the Bachelor's Degree in Law and the Bachelor's Degree in Management and Administration of Global Business received accreditation from the Interinstitutional Committees for the Evaluation of Higher Education (CIEES), thus ensuring a first-class educational service for students. 

The CIEES collaborate strategically with Higher Education Institutions in the search for Excellence, guaranteeing their prestige through the evaluation of the basic aspects that every HEI must comply with and others related to the institutional project, research, innovation, internationalization, linkage and cultural extension. 

This significant achievement is the result of the qualified work of the directors and members of the academic staff who, day after day, put their dedication at the service of the formation of the future leaders of our community. 

Uniamerican International School, one of 8 schools in Mexico with the immersive hybrid classroom system.

Jul 7, 2021 | Academic quality, Academic Excellence Uni, Innovation, Technology

An immersive hybrid system will be implemented in 21 classrooms at Uniamerican International School to guarantee the continuity of academic quality in all its elementary and high school groups, as well as the optimization of learning environments that will be characterized by promoting inquiry, critical thinking through triggering questions and collaborative work in the context of a safe, staggered and semi-presential return next August.  

Only eight schools, distributed in four states of the country, including Guanajuato, have immersive systems (UNOi, May 2021) that operate with a state-of-the-art technological infrastructure made up of computers, iPads, projectors, 4K cameras with 120-degree coverage and artificial intelligence mechanisms for facial recognition that allow them to take tracking shots, delimitation and close-ups in detailed areas, as well as panoramic shots with remote control. Likewise, the cameras frame based on human voice recognition, suppressing environmental noise to achieve greater fidelity in the transmitter's audio.  

Another key pillar of immersive hybrid classrooms is the teaching team that is being trained to successfully plan and implement classes that awaken students' interest and curiosity, while generating learning and developing skills supported by academic content designed for this purpose.  

Rosalba Vega, in her 4th semester of high school, currently takes biology and math classes in an immersive hybrid classroom and, from her experience, the advantages are a higher level of attention and concentration during class that has allowed her to improve her academic performance, a better group dynamic and the confidence of feeling safe in a de-densified classroom. 

Thanks to this integral model of educational evolution, more meaningful learning experiences will be generated for students and teachers because, with the integration of the technological and academic components within the classroom, a more natural simultaneous interaction between students who will attend classes in person and those who will participate remotely will be possible.