Robotics or related engineering courses

[SenorZ]

I'm a teacher with a rookie team (3677 in Pico Rivera, CA). We're thinking o introducing some sort of engineering course to help prep kids for college and the FIRST FRC. If anyone has experience in this realm I'd appreciate some insight.
Thanks.

[KrazyCarl92]

Project Lead The Way, or PLTW, is a program that is aimed at specifically offering technical education courses to middle school and high school students. Here's a link to the website:

http://www.pltw.org/

[Cyberphil]

Our school has had engineering classes for some time now. We were kind of the same way you are with a robotics team that eventually led to curriculum in the school. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me or email me if you have any further questions

Classes our school now has:

Design Concepts I and II: Basically covering architectural and manufacturing design challenges. Things such as classrooms are created in the architectural side of things, and other things such as a new innovative shopping carts are created in the manufacturing part. None of these things are actually created. We use Autodesk software to design everything.

Engineering Design I, Mechanical: Here, mechanical systems and movements are discussed before a major project is created. Students understand what forces go into moving these, "Cars," as we call them. The final game or competition is to launch a small nerf ball through a hole in some plywood. Before the car launches the ball, it has to travel on its own power down to the end of the ramp.

Engineering Design II, Electrical: Here, we learn about electricity, circuits, and the conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy. The project in this class is to make a battery powered car drive up a ramp and stop at the top.

Engineering Design III, Robotics: Here, we apply all of the things we learned in I and II to a larger human controlled robot. We come up with our own games for this class, and have a lot of fun with it.

[ghostmachine360]

At our school, we have our Engineering Academy, which branches off into Electronics (1-4, studies in general electrical engineering concepts all the way to component design), Programming (Basic Programming to LabView & Java), Design (Computer-Aided and Drafting), & General Engineering (Intro, Engineering Concepts, Engineering Applications, and Research & Design).

Then, for those who have completed at least AP Physics B or another beginning AP Science course, we have the Post-AP Advanced Physics & Robotics class, where we use robot competitions (past VRC, FLL & FTC challenges) to use the physics skills learned in beforehand, along with applying the engineering process.

If you have any questions, just PM me or email me at fender.kyle@circuitrunners.com.

[EricH]

Seeing as you're near L.A., you may want to contact FRC1717, out of Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy in Goleta. Specifically, their lead mentor/teacher, Amir. You might remember him from the Kickoff broadcast; he spoke for a couple of minutes or so. Admittedly, it's an engineering school, but I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you out with some ideas. Seeing as you're going to be at the L.A. Regional with them, that's three days to talk in person with them if you can arrange it. (Also three days for your robot to get the tubes beaten out of it by their robot, but I'm sure they'll be happy to help you improve.)

The really scary part about 1717 is that they're an all-senior team. The team just comes in that good every single year. They've got to be doing something right.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by EricH

Seeing as you're near L.A., you may want to contact FRC1717, out of Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy in Goleta. Specifically, their lead mentor/teacher, Amir. You might remember him from the Kickoff broadcast; he spoke for a couple of minutes or so. Admittedly, it's an engineering school, but I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you out with some ideas. Seeing as you're going to be at the L.A. Regional with them, that's three days to talk in person with them if you can arrange it. (Also three days for your robot to get the tubes beaten out of it by their robot, but I'm sure they'll be happy to help you improve.)

The really scary part about 1717 is that they're an all-senior team. The team just comes in that good every single year. They've got to be doing something right.

They certainly are a model team, although you may want to hold contacting them for a few months until they're a little less busy. They have quite a lot going on right now.

The Los Angeles County Regional Occupational Program often sponsors classes of this sort, and has a curriculum written for a "Robotics Engineering" class based on FRC. Send me a PM for more details.

[Alden94]

I am a student on team 781 Kinetic Knights from Kincardine, Ontario. In previous years we have had interest in such a course. This year I personally went to the administration department of our school praising FIRST FRC and the FIRST program. I had heard of FRC and school integration and it had been successful in the US and had existed in previous years in some Canadian teams. Our guidance department is working on the course and it seems it should be running in our schools 2011-2012 school year.

Best of luck to you from an excited student!

[SenorZ]

Thanks for all the responses! Its nice to post something and have people actually read/respond.

I saw Dos Pueblos on the UC accreditation site (which we go through to get new courses approved). Very impressive curriculum. My school has Earth Sci, Bio, Chem, Phys, AP Bio, APES, and this year AP Physics (which I teach). I personally wouldn't be teaching an engineering/robotics course. Our newer physics teacher has real-world experience in that field. I'd like to add a bio-mechanics course in conjunction with physiology (could make for some interesting bio-robotics!).

I just wanted to get a feel how many schools did straight engineering with FRC as a side project versus a specific robotics course. Seems like a multi-year "academy" style approach is more popular.

Thanks again!

[gren737]

Check out R.E.C. from intelitek. Written by FIRSTer's for FIRSTers!

http://www.intelitekdownloads.com/REC/