Creative Arts Summer School Programmes are designed and facilitated to promote access to higher education for under-represented groups in third-level education.
Academic integration/belonging, Personal mental health/well-being, Social integration/belongingInfo session | Workshop | On campus | In person
Time lineWhat is the main idea or gist?
What does this initiative/support/project look like?
Creative Arts Summer School is an initiative under the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) dedicated fund led by National College of Art & Design but with input from all Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) forming PATH Leinster Pillar I Cluster (Trinity College Dublin, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology, Marino Institute of Education, Royal College of Surgeons and University College Dublin.
Through the Creative Arts Summer School, our Cluster runs a number of outreach programmes each year designed to provide prospective students from DEIS schools and community organizations with the opportunity to explore the creative arts in each of our colleges. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) is a government initiative that provides additional resources to schools in areas of disadvantage. CASS programmes are designed and facilitated to promote access to higher education for under-represented groups in third-level education.
Successful applicants to CASS Dublin and CASS Cork have the chance to spend one day in each college and will have the opportunity to participate in an exciting programme of creative arts workshops led by experienced creative arts tutors.
Participants also have the opportunity to take part in a number of talks and presentations from colleges including information on admissions, entry and portfolio requirements, grants, course options, student supports, creative arts career guidance and presentations from current access students.
2023 brochure can be viewed at this link, please note that colleges from other parts of Ireland are involved in CASS: Technological University Dublin and Munster Technological University – Crawford College of Art. CASS is expanding with the view to become a national summer school.
All applicants must be 16+, there are 60 places available per summer school.
Priority is given to applicants who meet one or more of the following ACCESS criteria:
What are the goals?
The aim of CASS is to raise awareness of Creative Careers as a realistic and viable pathway and showcase the different access routes to college.
How are students involved?
Students are involved in both the design and the delivery of the programme as student ambassadors and peer educators. The student voice is very important to our Cluster and we ask for feedback for all our PATH initiatives.
What underlying constructs or ideas inspired the design?
Through CASS, we wanted to communicate to potential students some of the opportunities of pursuing an education and career in the creative arts and offer them the chance to experience student life in different HEIs and present the Access routes available.
What the success criteria and the points of attention?
Participant evaluation indicates that the project is 100% successful in raising awareness of the creative courses and creative careers available to them.
(How) does the effectiveness get tracked?
We are tracking the number of participants from target groups and the trends by year and their interest in attending college (if expressed in the feedback survey).
strongly agree
(How) is this initiative/support/project evaluated?
Yes
Evaluation is constant and demanded by the funder of this initiative (HEA). We use participant surveys and verbal feedback from organizers and partners, where applicable. We are reporting to the HEA once per year.
We have adapted the CASS schedule based on feedback from participants. For CASS 2023 project participants reflected on their experience as part of a Zine Making workshop (Zine – DIY self published magazine, where they were encouraged to visually map their learner journey over their time with us. Participants were awarded a Certificate of Completion.
How is it communicated and advertised?
The Creative Arts Summer School is promoted widely across Ireland with posters, printed and digital brochures, social media and direct contact to schools, Youthreach and community and voluntary organizations.
What is the current and ideal timing and duration?
The summer school runs in June but Tasters can be offered in April as part of Dublin Learning City Festival (another PATH initiative developed by our Cluster) to attract applicants for June.
During regular ‘school’ hours.
What resources are needed to run this initiative?
Explore what happened at CASS 2023
or watch these short videos from our CASS 2018 and CASS 2019 Creative Arts Summer Schools.
Bob Grey, who designs all Creative Arts Summer School content got a very nice mention in the Sunday Business Post for his work on CASS:
Is it easily transferrable to other contexts or groups?
We think it is quite easily transferable to other contexts or groups.
Quite easily transferable – in support of this and as part of the PATH project plan, a Toolkit is being developed, sharing methodology and resources for both students and institutions. The two aspects of the Toolkit will be: students perspective (choice making resource for any student interested in a creative pathway) and institution’s perspective (how institutions can develop and implement a Creative Art Summer School).
This initiative is informed by Universal Design Principles.
National College of Art & Design has included a commitment to CASS in their Access and Participation pillar to continue to oversee the project on behalf of the Cluster if the partner colleges will commit to continue beyond PATH funding and cover the costs of hosting one day of CASS in their respective college (tutors, materials, catering and location/if applicable).