To all teams and educators at schools that offer FIRST related classes:
We did it!
After much discussion, starting this fall the Ann Arbor School District (i.e. Huron and Pioneer High) has decided to allow the Tech Ed Department to develop and offer a “Robotics oriented science curriculum”. <YES!!!> <Snoopy Dance>
To that end, we now need suggestions and class syllabi for their offerings.
As of now, there are already two classes “formed”:
A ** “Robotics Electronics / Intro to [Robotics] Design” ** class of some kind (subjects TBD, but building robots will be an integral goal), and
A ** “CAD/Animation” ** class featuring the FIRST animation software (Inventor 5, et al…) In fact, they’ve already approved the purchase of a “class worth of seats” of each package for it!
BUT… We still need your “offering” and “syllabus” suggestions and help to determine what topics should be *** in *** these classes, and what other ones should be offered. Please tell us what all of you guys offer now, and * how * you’ve set up your classes at your schools (i.e. online, class(es) for credit, etc.) so I can pass this data on to the school.
My questions:
What FIRST related class or class sequence does your HS offer now?
What does your “course sequence” look like?
What topics are covered in each semester class?
How we can contact you to get a copy of your syllabus/syllabi for planning review?
What did * not * work well as a class for you?
Are there any teams out there whose website collects links to this kind of data now?
Feel free to post class URLs here, if available, or contact me directly if you have something REALLY long so we can discuss the emailing of more comprehensive information for review.
Who knows? If things work out (and the students are lucky), given enough info to present the AAPS school system may even create a Science Major out of this! (Ah, one can only dream… )
Montclair High, in Montclair, NJ has offered a Robotics Class for two years now. Last year, there were very few people in the class, and it was mostly spent designing robots, and then building the robot itself for the competition. This year, there were a ton of kids in the class, (mostly freshmen) so we decided to teach some basic physics and design concepts to them, including technical drawing, gear ratios, torque, power, etc. Unfortunately, our robotics teacher was sick for most of the year, so the course was shortened to a half year for all people not on the robotics team. Since the class was offered 8th period, at the end of the day, we could begin working on the robot then (and for some of us seniors, start working during lunch, and straight through 7th period study hall and into 8th). We had planned to order several Stamp Board Robotic Projects, but we never got around to doing it. We did remove all the components from last years robot and explain how they worked and mounted the whole system on a table (last year’s teeter-totter turned upside-down on 4x4’s). Next year, the robotics program is going to be taught by one of the physics teachers, so we should be able to get the class together a little better.
What FIRST related class or class sequence does your HS offer now?
The class was first offered at the beginning of this school year. It was originally a technical elective. Beginning next school year, it will be a full-fledged science course (e.g. qualifies as a science requirement as much as physics, biology, or chemistry).
What does your “course sequence” look like?
Not quite sure what you mean. It is a full year course, and students take it once.
What topics are covered in each semester class?
Topics covered include team management, CAD, programming, evaluating designs, and mechanics.
How we can contact you to get a copy of your syllabus/syllabi for planning review?
I’m not in the class, but I can get a copy of the syllabus. [email protected] is my email address.
What did not work well as a class for you?
There were two distinct groups of people working on the 2002 FIRST robot. The students in the class and the students doing it as an afterschool, extra-curricular activity. There was much friction between the two groups and very little communication. The class students didn’t feel it was justified that they must stay after to work on the robot, and the after-school students couldn’t cut out of their regular classes to meet the robotics class. Thus, the two groups worked on the robots separately. This caused catastrophic results, as we had to scrap our robot plans at the end of week five (!!!) and start from scratch at the beginning of week six.
Are there any teams out there whose website collects links to this kind of data now?
Like Brandon said, there is a syllabus in the white papers section.
<Snoopy Dance>