Large amount of team members.

[USAFRoboticsNut]

i personally think that if you let them all do what they really want to do, as long as they don't run wild, they should be fine. the ones who are only there for the college credit or title will end up weeding themselves out through the beginning of the season and those that honestly want to be in FIRST will stay and shine bright.

[Libby K]

I'll come here and share a story of my own - 1923 will be learning how to expand along with some of the others in this thread.

We've had some pretty explosive team growth over the past few years.

In our 9-season history, this has been our progression:

2006: 4
2007: 9
2008: 11
2009: 24
2010: 35
2011: 58
2012: 75
2013: 87
2014: 104
For 2015 (our 10th season! eek!) we had 170 students sign up as interested.

Now, that doesn't mean we'll get 170 - we'll probably settle out somewhere in the 120-range. When a student pays their $200 fee, signs their copy of the handbook agreement - then they're a team member. 104 last year for FRC was a struggle, and the mentors felt like we weren't engaging everyone to their full potential.

In order to handle all of these students, we'll be having an FTC team, the FRC team, and (we're in the process of forming) a VRC team as well, all for the 2014-15 school year.

Our plan is that FTC is available to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in our community who want to take that next step up from our FLL JumpStart program. The VRC team will be for younger high school students, or upperclassmen who don't quite have the hours and weeks of time to commit to FRC build. Our FRC team will be for the experienced builders, the kids who are willing to go all-in on their time for the team.

All teams will operate with their own subteams just as FRC does. We encourage students to spend time with all the programs. However, our rule is, if you've made a commitment for FTC or VRC, you don't get to skip it just because you want to show up at FRC build.

I, truthfully, have NO idea how this is going to turn out. It'll be a learning experience for us as a team.

Karthik answered the question of ideal team size in his Simbot Seminar last night (hilariously, asked by one of 1923's FRC students I noticed was watching.) His answer? Set goals for your team, and if you can accomplish them with the size team you have, then it works.

So that's where we are right now. Setting goals for each team, and for our program as a whole, and seeing if we can make them happen.

All I know so far is that 170 is a scary, scary number.

[Conor Ryan]

Originally Posted by Libby K

2006: 4
2007: 9
2008: 11
2009: 24
2010: 35
2011: 58
2012: 75
2013: 87
2014: 104
For 2015 (our 10th season! eek!) we had 170 students sign up as interested.

Now, that doesn't mean we'll get 170 - we'll probably settle out somewhere in the 120-range. When a student pays their $200 fee, signs their copy of the handbook agreement - then they're a team member. 104 last year for FRC was a struggle, and the mentors felt like we weren't engaging everyone to their full potential.

In order to handle all of these students, we'll be having an FTC team, the FRC team, and (we're in the process of forming) a VRC team as well, all for the 2014-15 school year.

Our plan is that FTC is available to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in our community who want to take that next step up from our FLL JumpStart program. The VRC team will be for younger high school students, or upperclassmen who don't quite have the hours and weeks of time to commit to FRC build. Our FRC team will be for the experienced builders, the kids who are willing to go all-in on their time for the team.

All teams will operate with their own subteams just as FRC does. We encourage students to spend time with all the programs. However, our rule is, if you've made a commitment for FTC or VRC, you don't get to skip it just because you want to show up at FRC build.

I, truthfully, have NO idea how this is going to turn out. It'll be a learning experience for us as a team.

Karthik answered the question of ideal team size in his Simbot Seminar last night (hilariously, asked by one of 1923's FRC students I noticed was watching.) His answer? Set goals for your team, and if you can accomplish them with the size team you have, then it works.

So that's where we are right now. Setting goals for each team, and for our program as a whole, and seeing if we can make them happen.

All I know so far is that 170 is a scary, scary number.

I like your strategy, its well thought out.

• How have the school administration(s) responded to your rapid growth?
• How do you measure team member engagement?

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by Conor Ryan

I like your strategy, its well thought out.

• How have the school administration(s) responded to your rapid growth?
• How do you measure team member engagement?

School administration: Tricky question. We're a team that encompasses both of our district's high schools (WWP North and South) and so what one administration likes, the other may not. So far for us though, the schools love having a cross-district program, and are slowly increasing their love/support for a technical group. Our school district, when I was a student, didn't really like STEM. No shops in the schools, barely any programming courses, not enough calculus teachers to cover the entire senior class - but our team is sort of forcing that change just by existing. So, we're a pain in their butts - but so far everyone seems to like what we've accomplished.

We do ask for a lot - since we can't build on school grounds, we have to work on property we have donated, but still have meetings at the schools, store things at the schools, host events in the gyms - so we're a little bit outside of their bubble and a little bit inside. Because we have people approved by the district to administrate our team, the actual school administrators stays kind of hands-off unless needed or invited by the appointed advisor.

Team Member Engagement: As far as objective metrics - we do have students 'clock in' for meetings, so we know how many hours they're at a meeting. We know how many meetings our students show up to, and how many of our workshop classes they've attended to be able to learn about the team and its workings. So to be in 'good standing' with the team, there's a percentage requirement for attendance, and participation - pretty much like there is during their school day.

However, a lot of our measure of how much a student's taking from the team is a judgement call by the mentors. Is Jimmy/Susie just showing up and socializing, or have they actually demonstrated what they've learned? Have I, as a mentor, been able to work with them on something - maybe it's the drivetrain, for example - and see them apply that knowledge in real-time? When I asked them to join in and help, did they jump right at it or did they continue milling around in the back? All these things count in for our measure of attendance/engagement/what have you, and they do affect a student's chance at travel or leadership positions later in their time on the team.

Hope that answers your question.

[Rachel.Alaynick]

Team 4 has a larger group of students this year (appx. 70), and our membership has fluctuated in the past. We're not allowed to cut anyone unless they fail to meet the minimum number of hours or GPA requirement.

We have veteran team 'leads' that manage sub-groups such as machining, programming, public relations, etc. New members typically spend the first couple weeks alternating between all of these and getting a feel for what they want. Our leads focus on teaching and inspiring new members during that time through lessons and some short, hands-on tasks.

Some people drop out after this because they don't have the time or interest, or their GPA doesn't meet our requirement.

After the initiation period and first cut, we have a variety of hands-on projects for new members to work on. A veteran member oversees it to ensure safety rules are being followed, to answer questions, etc. Students can choose which project they want to be a part of: the 254 project, VEX, robot rebuild, or specialized programming tasks. By having new members take ownership of a project within small groups, they become more invested in their success. These projects also encompass a myriad of skills, so students get experience in all aspects of the team.

I suggest utilizing hands-on projects to help engage new members and to help them take ownership of their role on the team. Of course some members will drop out naturally over time, but the projects are great learning experiences and provide direction.