• Quan Cai aims to develop the whole person. It complements and balances the demanding academic program at the College.
• It focuses on experiential learning. Engaging other intelligences as well as academic/intellectual in order to learn through doing.
• It is a commitment to develop oneself and serve the College and the wider local/global community and environment.

In the academic year 2009 – 2010 there are four ‘official’ activity groupings. Students select one activity from each group as a term/yearly commitment:

(Community) Service

• “An unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.” CAS Guide 2010 p. 3
• All students must choose one activity that involves interaction with the community beyond the College.
• Continues to emphasize UWC & LPC value on Service. UWC literature often refers to, “community service” or, “college outreach” in this context.

(Campus) Service

• All Service experiences focused on the campus community or not in direct contact with the local community.
• These include valuable services that would not fit into the other categories, such as AV team and SCC etc.
• Continues to reflect the LPC (UWC) emphasis on Service, with students choosing 2 Service activities in total (one with a campus focus, the other beyond the campus).
• There must be a clear learning benefit that the student can reflect upon in order for an activity to be approved as Campus Service.

Creativity

• “Arts and other experiences that involve creative thinking.” CAS Guide 2010 p. 3
• Includes projects where there is evidence of creative and imaginative planning and preparation.

Action

• “Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.” CAS Guide 2010 p. 3
• For example, could include activities such as dance (chosen as a Creativity or Action) or Coral Monitoring (chosen as Action or Service) as well as exercise programs.

Any additional activities undertaken by the students are ‘unofficial’.  Teachers should record such activities in testimonials and College reports where appropriate, particularly to acknowledge outstanding work by the student. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the tutor of unofficial progress/achievements.

The Aims of CAS 2010:

• Produce reflective thinkers (strengths, limitations, goals, strategies for growth).
• Enable students to accept new challenges/roles.
• Enable students to have an awareness of themselves as community members with responsibility to each other and the environment. 
• Facilitate student involvement in sustained, collaborative projects.
• Offer a balanced range of activities to facilitate intellectual, physical, creative and emotional experiences.

Learning outcomes:

“All 8 learning outcomes must be present for completion of CAS.” “Some evidence for every outcome.” CAS Guide 2010 p. 5 – 6 Evidence will be saved on ManageBac, a web based application used as a tool for communicating, recording and reflecting on CAS activities. Not all outcomes need to be achieved for each activity, but that there is evidence of all 8 by the end of the program. It is important to note that the IB requires evidence of experiences/reflections (but only, “some”). It cannot be over emphasized that evidence of learning outcomes will determine completion of Quan Cai, not hours completed[1].

Also note that learning outcomes are, “…differentiated from assessment objectives because they are not rated on a scale. A decision on completion of Quan Cai is simply, “Have these outcomes been achieved.” CAS Guide 2010 p. 5

The 8 learning outcomes for the students are:

• Increased awareness of their strengths and areas for growth.
• Undertaken new challenges – unfamiliar or extensions of existing ones.
• Planned and initiated activities (can be done in collaboration).
• Collaboration (“At least 1 project involving collaboration and integration of at least 2 of CAS is required” CAS Guide 2010 p. 6).
• Perseverance and commitment (minimally, regular attendance and sharing of some responsibility).
• Engaged with issues of global importance (can have local or national importance – more than once the guide states, “Think globally, act locally”).
• Consider ethical implications (reflected in journals and interviews with CAS Advisers).
• Develop new skills (new or extended).

Forms of evidence:

Quan Cai (CAS) journals are required to show evidence of the 8 learning outcomes. This may take the form of word documents, blogs, photo journals, videos etc (all saved on ManageBac).

CAS Advisers:

CAS Advisers – “provide personal advice and support to individual students.” CAS Guide 2010 p.6.  At LPC, CAS Advisers are tutors. The CAS Guide 2010 describes a CAS Adviser as a mentor who:

• Helps the student to identify personal/social goals.
• Monitors the range and balance of student choices (this will normally be the tutor).
• Develops reflection through individual consultation and group discussion.
• Helps the student consider ethical issues.
• Reads and responds to CAS journals (via ManageBac).
• Helps the student to make connections (e.g. between local learning, global learning and subject learning – for instance TOK – through to general understanding).

CAS Advisers are required to meet with the students twice in Year 1 and once in Year 2. This can easily be covered in tutor meetings and the proposed end of year ‘Quan Cai Day’.

Note that the CAS Guide 2010 distinguishes between CAS Advisers and Activity supervisors (who might not be teachers) whose role is outlined as monitoring attendance, completing College reports on student performance in activities as well as providing general support and guidance to the student.

Steve Reynolds
Head of Quan Cai/CAS Coordinator

List of Quan Cai activities

Links to different Quan Cais

Global Concerns Action Team

Initiative for Peace

Sino-Japan Youth Conference

Each year a number of S3 areas are chosen to be the subject of a full day programme. The components of those days may vary.

Such days are labelled “Change of Pace” (COP) days, and combine presentations and discussions with recreation and evening social activities.

The COP days usually include the following topics:

• Environment
• Sex Education
• International Cultural Affairs (ICA)
• Model United Nations

The components of the programme may vary from one year to another. They are published at the beginning of the year.

It aims to foster in students a number of abilities, some related to maximising the value of their two years at the College, some of which are valuable life skills for the future.

The particular abilities are:

Intellectual and Academic

• to effectively select courses, universities etc.
• to understand the specific demands of I.B. work, including the need for efficient time management, prioritization, exam preparation and exam technique.
• to accept that at LPCUWC she/he may well be educated in a different social and physical environment than she/he is used to, and that this may require the development of new intellectual and social skills.

Spiritual

• to develop a personal philosophy of life whilst respecting other people’s philosophies, cultures and religious beliefs.

Emotional

• to resolve personal conflicts;
• to reach a better understanding and acceptance of themselves by attempting to:
  • accept, learn from and move on from, mistakes and failure.
  • reconcile the expectations of parents with personal goals.
  • reconcile and prioritise the demands of College life with personal goals.
  • realistically set, assess and implement present and future goals.
  • deal with stress.

Social

• to facilitate integration within the tutor group and contribute to a corporate House and College identity;
• to take initiative and actively participate in the College community;
• to respect diversity and differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender and creed.

There is usually at least one event on the S3 calendar every month for the first year students. The schedule is designed to meet the observed pattern of needs of the students as they respond to the demands of the UWC programme.

Key sessions are led by visiting experts, by staff or students. Staff and second year students act as facilitators for small group discussions.

The programme of 2009-10 includes:

• Police Talk
• Revision skills
• Sleep
• Study skills
• Stress management
• Substance abuse
• Time Management
• Travelling skills