RoboEducators Project

Los Rios Community College District, Sacramento CA

Investigators

Abstract

The RoboEducators' ATE project was initiated by the faculty in the Engineering Technology Center at American River College in conjunction with staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to create an engaging pathway for student to enter the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) via robotics competition. The work is a collaborative effort between three regional engineering and technology consortia in California. Through their efforts they have been able to join the Silicon Valley Engineering/ Technology Consortia (SVE/TC) and the Sacramento Regional Engineering and Technology Consortia (SETRC) together with California State University-Northridge (CSUN) to establish the Los Angeles Engineering and Technology Consortia and create/deliver/support a world-class K-12 robotics curriculum. The project has two structural and three functional components. The structural elements are to organize the Los Angeles consortium and expand the interrelationships of the regional consortia in the state to create a pathway for K-16 students engaged in manufacturing and technology careers. Functionally the project builds a standards-based K-12 robotics curriculum to attract and engage students in manufacturing and technology and provide extensive professional development in support of robotics curricula and competitions. The project is also engaging non-traditional students and teachers in technology careers through robotics courses. Teachers are contracted to develop the curriculum and training materials as well as deliver workshops specific to the needs of a range of teachers from entry through advanced levels. Strong industry support is expected for these training activities that range from conference presentations up to two-week workshops. During the second and third years, a Statewide Robotics Conference is held in the Los Angeles area. Efforts have been directed toward creating an infrastructure to engage middle and high school students along with an audience of K-16. Teachers are delivering and receiving robotics-related professional development through the three regional consortia and their industry partners. The ultimate goal is to continually excite students and engage them in order to encourage them toward careers in STEM. The project is doing this by engaging students in regional and national competitions including Lego League, Bot Ball, Red Rover and Robotics FIRST.