Robotics Curriculum

[Kilpatrickcg]

My school district is considering teaching a robotics curriculum, and I am tasked with deciding if it is feasible. I'm interested in curriculum for the middle and high school levels.

I would be interested hearing from students and teachers that are either taking robotics courses in middle/high school or teaching them. Feedback on curriculums that you have used would be great.

Thank you.

[technoL]

At our school, we have robotics classes, entitled "Research" ranging from levels I-VI as a part of the Emerging Computer Technology magnet.

In the I/II level, students are introduced to robotics, starting out with BoeBots, Lego Mindstorms, and NXTs. I think they also used K'nex in that class too (I skipped the first level, so I'm not exactly sure of all the details)

In the III/IV level, students use Vex and all of the robotics systems in the previous level also. There is more of a focus on design and the understanding of engineering concepts in this level.

Reseach V focuses on FIRST and other independent robotics-related projects. Last year, the Research V class created a Vex version of our current robot and also did other projects to help prepare the team during the season. (This class usually occurs 2nd semester during build and competition season)

I'm not too sure about Research VI, but I believe that it is very similar to Research V. I don't think anyone made it to that level last year.

There is also a Virtual Computer Modeling (VCM) class that focuses on 3DS Max and Inventor. In previous years, Inventor was also taught in the Research classes, but now it is part of the second half of VCM. I think the Research classes might start using SolidWorks soon.

I took Research III/IV last year and it was a great experience to be able to have time to actually do robotics during school. I learned a lot from just playing with robots at home on my own, but it is also nice to have it in a structured (not really that strict though) learning environment and as a break between classes. Next semester I am scheduled for Research V, which will be a godsend during the middle of the day. I'll be able to dedicate more time to FIRST without sacrificing much school work, hopefully. I know a lot of students that have gone through the robotics courses, starting out knowing absolutely nothing, and then coming out with 4 years of useful experience in robotics & engineering, also picking up some basic math and physics skill along the way.

There is no requirement to be on the team by being in the classes, but it is strongly encouraged if you are. A lot of time, members are able to work on team stuff while in class, if necessary, and possibly as a part of the class. In previous years, FIRST-related assignments were given in Research I/II to expose students to the program and get them interested, such as developing strategies and prototypes. A large portion of 108 has taken a Research class by choice though. It really gives you an edge during the season if you already know what to expect, or you have been able to hone your skills for a whole semester.

[Workingclass]

Hi,
We are currently teaching a roboticscurriculum at our high school. the class uses Leggo NXT, VEX and we use the MIT Handy Board as an autonomous DCU along with the VEX platform. Students are taught the basic physics and equations needed to calculate their results, but the class is taught as an applied engineering course. We give the students a task to design and build for then the have to present their results. Welooked at several premade robotics cirriculums but found that they really did not give students the opportunity toreally experience a real world engineering enviornment.
This year is our development year, so we really have not written a specific curriculum, but instead thought about the different things that a student needs to know and understand about designing in the real world rather than the lab enviornment. The year is broken into units starting with Kinematics then Dynamics(work/energy),Electricl circuits(Ohms law), Motors, Actuators, digital Electronics, Digital Contorl Unit/Hardware, Software, Programming, and System Engineering.
The final few weeks of the year are set aside for students to Design and build a robot to perform a completely autonomous task. Our hope is to teach robotics as a system that is autonomous and self correcting rather than just another radio controlled toy.
As I said this is our development year and so far it has been a great success. The hardest thing to do is to let the students figure out solutions through discovery rather than stepin and give them advice or correct where they might be going in the wrong direction. When students present the results of their projects through each phas of the course they are required to analyze what worked and what did not work and why

[Andrew Y.]

Hey at our high school we have several classes branched out to robotics

Electronics: Teaches basic DC operation and electronics skills

Post AP Robotics: Begins with the older lego kits then to NXT, and ends in VEX. Students go through learning about the physics involved with mechanical engieering and how to program. Competitions are held throught the semester between teams within classes. Final project: a building has collapsed and people are trapped inside the wreckage. (model) Teams have to design a robot that can drive over the debris (foam, rocks, wires, lose dirt, etc) to locate the survivers and extra points if they can be identified. Some obsticles are also in the way such as a half collapsed staircase, unstable walls. tight turns... O yea BTW you are in a different room than the robot driving from a camera. GREAT PROGRAM!

[Kingofl337]

I would recommend you check out this page.

Http://www.intelitekdownloads.com/REC

There is a demo of the curricula on line you can walk through. We built the Robotics Engineering Curriculum to teach the science of robotics not just programming. Power/Torque/Gearing all the good stuff. If you would like some references PM me and I can put you in touch with some other schools and teams using it.

[Doug G]

Here's some course descriptions that are UC approved in California....

http://www.ucop.edu/a-gGuide/docs/We...icsEngTech.doc

http://www.ucop.edu/a-gGuide/docs/La...S_Robotics.doc

http://www.ucop.edu/a-gGuide/docs/Co...ofEngineer.doc