CASE PD FAQs

CASE Institutes (CIs): Specialized professional development for full-year CASE courses. Institutes are five to eight days of professional development to address the element of instruction expected by teachers of a CASE course.

BriefCASE: Specialized professional development for shortened CASE courses approximately a semester in length. BriefCASEs range from five hours to three days.

CASE Institutes are five days in person with up to three days of virtual training, depending on the course. The scope and sequence of each CASE Institute are available on the CASE Registration page.

BriefCASE professional development events are used to deliver our half-year courses. The scope and sequence of each BriefCASE can be reviewed on the CASE Registration page.

We understand that an agriculture teacher’s summer is jam-packed. Due to the intense nature of our events, we only allow up to 6 hours of missed time during our Institutes. If you need to miss more than 6 hours, we suggest you find an alternate Institute—those who miss more than 6 hours risk not being certified.

If you need to miss any portion of a BriefCASE, we suggest you find an alternate event with no time conflicts. This applies to both in-person and virtual events.

At max, five consecutive weekdays are spent on location for a CASE Institute. Depending on the training, some virtual days will be required before or after the institute. Review each course's professional development scope and sequence on the CASE Registration page. 

Dress for CASE professional development is up to you, from casual to business. Note that your Lead Teachers may require specific safety equipment to be packed, such as closed-toed shoes and long pants for some labs. Weather varies between our locations, so we encourage you to dress comfortably.

• Think like both a teacher and a student. You can benefit from walking through the lessons from both perspectives and taking notes.
• Write in your printed curriculum binder! Early during events, teachers tend to keep their notebooks free of notes so they have a "fresh" copy. You can easily print new copies from MyCASE once you are back home; we suggest writing everywhere in your notebook during the event. You can keep lesson ideas in the binder to use as a reference.
• Chances are you won't remember notes from August when finally teaching the material the following April. Even if an answer seems simple and you can complete it later, you'll be glad you took thorough notes while it was fresh on your mind.
• Work with different people and groups (if your lead teacher has not already asked you to). Take advantage of being with educators who can share ideas and enhance learning. Some of the best learning moments come from casual, unplanned idea exchanges.
• The focused and intense nature of CASE PD will save you hours at school and home over the next several years. With that in mind, do your best to be present as much as possible during your event.
• CASE cares about your mental well-being. If you're struggling during an event, our Lead Teachers and Hosts are there to support you and do whatever possible to get you certified. Please share as much as is comfortable for us to serve you best.

CASE has curricular areas with courses that build on the inquiry and technical skill level. There is no required order for a teacher to become certified. You're welcome to enroll in professional development for any course you choose. However, we suggest beginning with an Introductory or Foundation level course.

Credit card payments are highly preferred. POs will be accepted throughout the registration period. Your seat may be released to the public if payment is not received within 45 days (which will be communicated in your invoice and subsequent follow-ups). POs should not be used to secure a spot if you do not intend to attend.

If you intend to pay with a credit card, please register only once you can use it. Teachers who secure a spot with a PO and wish to pay with a credit card later will need to pay via phone to CASE 4 Learning.

Our generous sponsors provide two options for financial support:

• Professional Development Scholarship applications open each fall and will be used the following summer for CASE Institute. Scholarships cover a portion of the registration cost. Scholarships may be used for any CASE Institute.
• Implementation Grant applications open each fall and are used the following spring to purchase supplies, equipment, textbooks, and software for CASE implementation.

Review the applications and available scholarships on the Scholarship and Grants page. 

Our fiscal management entity is the National Council for Agricultural Education.

Make all checks payable to the National Council for Agricultural Education; print the W9 here.

Mail to: National Council for Agricultural Education,

c/o Melissa Rekeweg,

P.O. Box 78124, Indianapolis, IN 46278-0124

We understand some situations require cancelation. Take a look at our cancellation policy.

Your confirmation email includes cancellation instructions, and you can manage all your registrations on your MyCASE account dashboard.

We do not limit the number of institutes you can take in one summer as long as they don't overlap. If your funding, time frame, and self-care schedule allow you to take two or more institutes, we look forward to seeing you!