Quote:
Originally Posted by hauki
If the build team is totally getting off track what should be the mentors role?
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Depends upon why they are getting off track. One programming mentor believes in letting the kids fail. they learn a lot through their failure. However, he does show them the errors of their way in time to get a functioning robot.
I have been an RI, so I can tell the kids: That is not done properly; That will not pass inspection. Those things they have to fix. Just this week I surveyed the different areas: drive train, shooter, boulder handling, swiss army knife (various mechanisms for defeating defenses), etc. I then asked the Electrical Team what is their plan for wiring all the motors. They were not addressing how many motor controllers they needed (one for each motor), and that they had maxed out the number of high amp slots on the PDP.
We force the kids to prototype. If they can't prove it works in prototype, we don't let them build it.
If you can see the design will not work, try to help them visualize why it will not work. It is still their design, and the earlier they can fix the problem, the easier it is.
It is a big team, and I have no idea who is doing what (I am more on the programming side, so I do not see all the hardware). If they are not addressing issues - Every few meetings (we meet 4 times a week), I ask "how is X <climbing> coming along". If no one is working on it, then it is a warning to them to put some people on it.
I see a Mentor role is to guide. We do not build the robot for them, but we do keep them from going down dead ends that may keep them from a robot that can compete.