[mathking]

My first piece of advice is to take some simple working robot code (either sample code or from a team's public repository) and have your students examine it. Ask them to identify what and where for making simple modifications. If you are moving from LabView you have anyone who knows LabView, have them identify which parts of the LabView code correspond to which methods in Java code. Make a poster of this.

Robocode is a valuable tool if you have students with no Java experience. They program virtual robot tanks to compete against one another, using a simple, well-documented framework.

The best piece of advice I have is to take a working (mechanically and electrically) robot and have the programmers modify default code to make it drive. Then have them make it do something simple autonomously. Keep making incrementally more complicated tasks and have them work on those. And have them document what they are doing so they have references for use when they make the same mistakes during the build season.

Finally, ask questions. Lots of them. Here is fine but email tends to be a better venue for a lot of quick back and forth questions and clarifications.