It seems silly that it should be marked but the students don’t receive feedback. I know it would be really helpful to our team who are unsure of how to structure and format the engineering notebook
To learn more about the judging process, I recommend that you read the Guide to Judging: https://kb.roboticseducation.org/hc/en-us/article_attachments/28001343297559
Also, if someone from your team/organization will volunteer as a Judge at a local event, this will be of great value to your organization to learn just how the judging process works.
I can offer a couple quick insights to answer your question: first (you won’t like this one for sure), typically only half the engineering notebooks are even scored against the rubric, and second, once the highest ranking engineering notebooks are determined at an event, the interview becomes the most important aspect of earning a judged award, something many teams neglect to prepare for or practice.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks for the help.
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Just like @kmmohn said, volunteering with judges is the best way for an adult to learn what is expected from students and what other teams are doing that makes them stand out and impress judges.
However, if you want feedback sooner, you can always ask head judge at an event if they could give your team verbal feedback after event.
Whenever I was judging, I was always willing to give teams, who ask, detailed feedback on how they could improve both they notebook and interview presentation skills.
After all, our goal is to help students learn new skills.
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If you do not have access to experienced judges, you can turn to an AI rubric feedback generator - I have been playing around with Brisk Teaching extension for Google Chrome. You can pass it the Engineering Notebook Rubric and a prompt:
“Review the notebook using the Engineering Notebook rubric. Be sure to focus on following the engineering design process, creating multiple prototypes to test, quantitative testing and evaluation, and iterating their designs over the season. Check that the team has analyzed the VEX Robotics Competition game Over Under and developed multiple offensive and defensive strategies.”
Frankly, coaches and mentors should be giving feedback themselves using the Rubric.
Here is the AI Generated feedback:
ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS:
- You have done well in documenting parts of the engineering design process, especially in your summer robotics work (slides 10-15).
- For improvement, consider expanding on the “Identify the Problem” step for each design cycle. For example, on slide 11, elaborate on why you needed a chassis that can drive.
- Your decision matrix for the counterweight (slide 13) is a great example of brainstorming solutions. Try to include similar processes for other design decisions.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM:
- You identify challenges at the start of each design cycle, but adding more detail would strengthen your documentation.
- Clearly state the goals for accomplishing each challenge. This will help clarify your design process for readers.
BRAINSTORM, DIAGRAM, OR PROTOTYPE SOLUTIONS:
- You have provided some brainstorming for solutions, but aim to list three or more possible solutions with labeled diagrams.
- Remember to include citations for ideas that came from outside sources, such as online videos or other teams.
SELECT BEST SOLUTION AND PLAN:
- While you explain why some solutions are selected, ensure you fully describe the plan to implement each solution.
- Including a decision matrix for each major design choice will enhance clarity and reasoning behind your selections.
BUILD AND PROGRAM THE SOLUTION:
- Your documentation of building the chassis and arm is good, but it could benefit from more detail.
- Include specifics on programming, such as the code used to control the arm movement, to help others understand your process.
TEST SOLUTION:
- You have started to document testing on slide 14, but aim to include all steps taken during testing, along with specific test results.
- Quantitative data, such as how many rings the robot can pick up in a minute, will provide a clearer picture of your robot’s performance.
REPEAT DESIGN PROCESS:
- Your notebook shows some evidence of repeating the design process, but try to document more iterations for each major component.
- For example, show how you tested, identified problems, and made improvements for the arm and drivetrain.
INDEPENDENT INQUIRY:
- Your notebook reflects some independent inquiry, but ensure that you document whether ideas originated from your team or outside sources.
- This will help clarify the development of your design process and give credit where it’s due.
USEABILITY AND COMPLETENESS:
- Your notebook is generally clear, but strive to record the design and development process in more detail.
- This will help readers understand the evolution of your project and recreate the history of your design decisions.
RECORD OF TEAM AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
- You have made a good start with your summer robotics plans and season goals, but include more detailed meeting notes.
- Document specific decisions made during team meetings and who was responsible for different tasks to enhance your project management record.
NOTEBOOK FORMAT:
- Your notebook has a good structure with a table of contents and dated entries, but ensure that all entries are consistently organized for easy reference.
- This will help others navigate your notebook more effectively.
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There is an Engineering Notebook Discord server that’s run by notebooking enthusiasts. I don’t have a link at the moment, but hopefully someone can help with that. I know there are VexU folks on the server that have been V5RC competitors and are now event partners and judges for V5RC and they are willing to give input and feedback on interviews and notebooks.
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Notebook Server is here if needed: Robot Notebookers
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Is this allowed? At least from my experience judging and looking at the guide to judging, that’s slightly sketchy on the confidentiality thing. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong)
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No Certified Judge Advisor will share specific information about a team or deliberations, and if a Judge is found to have violated the confidentiality of the judge’s room, they will never be asked to judge again (at least in any competition in which I am a part of).
If a student asks me for feedback (either as a judge or JA), I won’t provide any specific feedback on their particular notebook or team, but rather suggest they look to the guide to judging (and the scoring rubric therein) and, as always, suggest they practice their interview skills. (My best advise is to have the team interview with an authority figure, such as their school principal, to create a level of professional nervousness which will help them improve their composure).
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Any chance can redo the link? It’s expired