VIQRC Session 2

The goal of this station is for students to get experience with building collaboratively. They are not expected to be master builders by the end of their stage, but rather to practice working with a partner to follow build instructions accurately, and to be more comfortable building with VEX IQ.

• The build is broken into four stages, but you can adjust those stages to best meet your students' needs. If you have novice builders, for instance, you may want to shorten each stage, and have students rotate through them more times.

Remember to keep student learning as the main focus as they build.  Students must do all of the building themselves, but you can offer tips like holding pieces in the same orientation as the image in the build instructions, or showing students how to use the Competition Kit Parts Poster to identify pieces.

• Refer to the Student-Centered Policy for more details about what the coach/mentor can and can't do while the team builds.
• Remind students of the Student-Centered Check item that applies to building the robot if needed:
  • Robot: Are we designing, building, testing, coding, and improving our robot?

Have several copies of the VEX IQ Printable Ruler available to help students identify pieces by size. Remind your team that they can also use the Competition Kit Parts Poster to help identify which bin each piece is located in.

• Note that the Competition Kit Parts Poster has two pages. The first page shows the pieces located in the two IQ (2nd gen) Education Kit bins, while the second page shows the pieces located in the two additional bins.

You may want to have the Team Number and Virtual Skills Key written and posted at this station. Use the Accessing VEX IQ Virtual Skills with a Virtual Skills Key article to help you as needed.

The goal of this station is for students to build their comfort and skills with driving a robot. Students on your team will likely have different experience levels with remote control driving, and that's ok. This station offers a chance to practice and explore ways to drive, so that students are set up for success when it comes to driving the physical robot later.

There are so many ways to drive and score with Virtual Driving Skills Practice. If students need help staying engaged in this station, you can offer ideas for exploration, like:

• Changing the camera views to see how that affects their perspective.
• Experimenting with the different Drive Modes.
• Testing out the robot controls.
• Trying to set a new high score! 

The goal of this station is for students to explore coding a robot. The task in this station builds on what they saw in the video, enabling students to practice foundational skills, like sequencing, to move the robot to pick up and score Bean Bags. This may be the first time that students have coded anything, so try to celebrate any and all behaviors that students are able to code, to keep this a positive experience.

• If students are struggling, you can distribute this sample solution to help them get started. It shows the sequence of blocks needed to complete the task, but with the distance and degree parameters removed.
• Remind students that this virtual environment is here to help simplify the coding experience for them and help them experience that early success coding. This may mean the virtual robot will appear to behave slightly differently than the physical version.

You may want to have your Team Number and Virtual Skills Key written and posted at this station. Use this article to help as needed. 

Remember, you can help team members learn about coding concepts, but you CANNOT build their code for them. Review the Student-Centered Policy for more details about what coaches can and can't do while students are coding. 

• Remind students to run their projects often to see how Flop is moving on the Field.
• Give students the Using the Navigation Kit article to learn more about how it can help them plan their projects.
• Encourage team members to use VEXcode API Reference for support with Virtual Skills.
• For students who are interested in learning more about coding: 
  • You can use the CS Level 1 - Blocks course to help them learn more.
  • Encourage them to keep going with Autonomous Coding Skills. 

Make sure that both students are actively participating in coding. One student can build the project while the other tests or documents, and then students can switch roles at regular intervals. Learn more about strategies like pair programming in this article.

The goal here is not to become an expert in every facet of the game, but for students to stop and think a bit more about what they will need to know and learn to be successful for the season. Read this Insights article to learn more about the thinking behind the questions on the task card, and how to scaffold students' thinking in open-ended challenges. 

Students should practice finding answers to questions on their own by using available game resources. This builds independence and sets them up for success throughout the season. This exercise may also generate additional questions from students—and that’s great! Consider posting any unanswered team questions at the end of the session in a visible place, so students can keep them in mind during future sessions.

The game manual is a big document, with a lot of information in it. They should not be expected to read the manual in its entirety during this station, but to instead use it as a reference.