QUESTION OF THE WEEK!!! [08-12-01]

[Jessica Boucher]

To start, I can't believe Im actually doing this.

But, Ken sent me a frantic CDPM (Chief Delphi Private Message):
"HELP!!! I completely forgot to ask you about this earlier...

Since I am leaving later today, I won't be able to do the QOTW this weekend... Can you PLEASE fill in for me? *panic*"

If I remember right, he is visiting the Grand Canyon for a week. So, I hope my fill-in fits your fancy

QUESTION 8/12/01: About these yearbook pages....Baker said only 35% of teams filled them out this season. If you did, what did you put, and if you didnt, why didnt you? Plus, what changes would you make to the idea of the yearbook in FIRST (for example, would you hand it out to all teams, make it mandatory to fill out, etc)?

Ok, so that was a mix of a couple of questions...thats ok, though (or at least I hope it is).

Have a good one,
Jessica B

[Clark Gilbert]

We did a yearbook page which can be found on ourwebsite or at the attachment below...

[EddieMcD]

As far as I know, my team filled out the entire form.

I'd hand it out to all teams, but that's something too samll to make mandatory.

[David Kelly]

well, we turned one in on time and somehow FIRST lost it. so we were never able to make use of it. but i think it is a good idea. i think it should be manditory. it would allow all teams to know what each team can do in advance. the only thing that worries me though is that some teams will claim they can do something but they actually can't. but i guess that's what scouting is for.

[patrickrd]

Our team filled it out and submitted it... somewhere between 3 and 6 AM on February 20th. We basically filled in the form as provided by FIRST.

Patrick

[Justin]

Hi All,

In answer to this week's question. One of the things I'd like to see, and I've heard from a lot of people. Is the yearbooks distributed to each team. Think about it....if everyone contributed to the year book....all these teams would really get to know each other....get a little snapshot of what other teams are doing, and how things are going in the FIRST world. I think it'd be a nice momento. There's a thought....if teams were given the yearbooks....perhaps it could be presented to a particuarly active senior memember of the team that really helped to change that team's direction, went out of thier way to really be a part of FIRST. As a rememberence of FIRST wherever they go...they can look back on the teams of FIRST as they remember them. Just a thought, I'll keep that one in mind 4 when I'm running a team some day ;-) ;-)

-Justin

[Matt Leese]

I filled out the yearbook page at about 4 pm on February 20 (it was due at 5 pm). Personally I think more people would've turned it in had it not been due the same day as ship. At the NH Forum, everyone there claimed to have turned in a year book sheet. My guess is that either some people were mistaken, FIRST had a problem collecting them, or the people there were from the teams dedicated enough to fill it in. I'm thinking a bit of all three.

Matt

[Joe Ross]

Our team did not like the yearbook pages in the current format. We filled ours out, but wish that FIRST would make some major changes in the future.

First of all, we didn't see the yearbook pages being put to use. when the judges came to our pit, the generally asked the same questions as were on the yearbook pages. FIRST claimed that the pages were to make the judge's job easier. If that was the case, I would have expected the judges to ask for clarification of points on the sheet rather than asking the same information.

We also think that the format wasn't the best. There were too many questions to do a decent job answering any of them. Many of the questions were similar to others. It would have been better to have fewer questions, but more space to answer them. A question like, "What is unique about your team" would be much more useful than the multiple questions asked. It also gives the team a chance to emphasize what they want.

I also didn't like the fact that they had all the demographic information about race. I would think that FIRST is smart enough to know that race doesn't affect acheivement. One of the teams we mentored did not fill that part out because they didn't want any special treatment becuase they were almost completely minority, and handing out special treatment seems to be the only reason to include it there. It is appropriate on the year-end survey, but not in something that the judges use.

Lastly was the time issue, but that has been beaten to death already

[Matt Leese]

Originally posted by Joe Ross
Our team did not like the yearbook pages in the current format. We filled ours out, but wish that FIRST would make some major changes in the future.

First of all, we didn't see the yearbook pages being put to use. when the judges came to our pit, the generally asked the same questions as were on the yearbook pages. FIRST claimed that the pages were to make the judge's job easier. If that was the case, I would have expected the judges to ask for clarification of points on the sheet rather than asking the same information.

We also think that the format wasn't the best. There were too many questions to do a decent job answering any of them. Many of the questions were similar to others. It would have been better to have fewer questions, but more space to answer them. A question like, "What is unique about your team" would be much more useful than the multiple questions asked. It also gives the team a chance to emphasize what they want.

I also didn't like the fact that they had all the demographic information about race. I would think that FIRST is smart enough to know that race doesn't affect acheivement. One of the teams we mentored did not fill that part out because they didn't want any special treatment becuase they were almost completely minority, and handing out special treatment seems to be the only reason to include it there. It is appropriate on the year-end survey, but not in something that the judges use.

Lastly was the time issue, but that has been beaten to death already

I believe they were planning a major reogranization of the yearbooks next year as well as moving them to web based (ala registration). As for them not being used by judges, supposedly the judges had access to them but apparently didn't use them that effectively. It didn't hurt that so few teams turned them in. The reason for demographic information is not to provided special benefits for teams or because FIRST thinks race affects achievement. Instead, the demographic information is so that they can go to possible sponsors and show what underrepresented minority they serve. It's pure politics and FIRST is trying to use it to their best advantage.

Matt

[Joe Ross]

Originally posted by Matt Leese


The reason for demographic information is not to provided special benefits for teams or because FIRST thinks race affects achievement. Instead, the demographic information is so that they can go to possible sponsors and show what underrepresented minority they serve. It's pure politics and FIRST is trying to use it to their best advantage.

Matt

I have no problem with providing demographic information to FIRST, which has traditionally been done with the survey at year's end. I understand that this information is very usefull to them, there just isn't any reason for us to be required to give it to the judges. Besides, it's easy enough for the judges to look and see what the percentage of minorities is

[Matt Leese]

Originally posted by Joe Ross


I have no problem with providing demographic information to FIRST, which has traditionally been done with the survey at year's end. I understand that this information is very usefull to them, there just isn't any reason for us to be required to give it to the judges. Besides, it's easy enough for the judges to look and see what the percentage of minorities is

The yearbooks weren't only for the judges. That was only one of their uses. Some of the data (such as parts used) was merely for FIRST to use.

Matt

[A. Leese]

..required? I thought every single team had to fill out a yearbook page or they didn't compete at nats. That's what I was told. I would up working on it while I was in Tampa on an academic team trip on the day of the deadline for the robot to be shipped. So, you're telling me I did all of that just because? Oh well. At least we had one.

~Angela

[Andrew Rudolph]

We didnt **gasp** we dont have that many people that are motivated and all of us motivated ones were concerned with the robot not the yearbook. In fact it was only really mentioned during th first meetings then as time went on we forgot. O Well, maybe if First made it more of an issue or really pushed it we would have done it.

Andrew

[Carolyn Duncan]

I don't think my old team turned in a page. The 4 of us who were most likely to have done it were among the 8 of us who worked on the robot constantly. Having it due on the ship date was probly not the best idea considering what we go through for the 6 weeks of building time.