RoboticsCapital Conference 2020 (Virtual Edition)

David Trussell, Director of STEM Activities

(An Introduction)

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Attendance for CPE credit

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UIL RoboticsNuts & Bolts

u Program structure and participation

u Rules

u Robotics in your school community

u Options for participation

Program Structure

u UIL Robotics is a collaboration

u Two partner organizations

Program Structure

u BEST Divisionu One competition platform

u Fall season culminating in early December championship event

u FIRST Divisionu Two competition platforms

u FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)

u Both culminate in spring championship events

Participation in Robotics

u Which competition is the right fit for my school community?

u Your school can compete in both UIL divisions (BEST and FIRST)

u Other Robotics programsu While not part of UIL Robotics, competitions such as VEX or TCEA

robotics are also options your school can consider

u More schools are including multiple competition platforms in their robotics programsu Your school can participate in any combination of robotics competition

platforms

u Participation can change over time

Participation in Robotics – First Steps

u Register a team with the organization you have chosen

u Team registration happens through the national offices of BEST or FIRSTu www.bestrobotics.org

u www.firstinspires.org

u Texas affiliates will help youu www.bestoftexasrobotics.org

u www.firstintexas.org

Participation in Robotics – First Steps

u Attend workshops and other events

u Network – other coaches are happy to help you!

u Connect with your local competition groupu BEST – hubs

u FIRST – areas or regions

u Texas affiliates will help you make those connections

Program Structure - Qualifiers

u Robotics does not fit the traditional “Spring Meet” structureu Other newer contests - Congress, Theatrical Design, Film

u No UIL district or regional contestsu Qualification to the UIL Robotics State Championships is

based on your team’s scores in FIRST or BEST qualifier meetsu BEST – Hub Competitions

u FTC – League play, regional* contests

u FRC – District* model

u Qualifier meets are organized and administered by the robotics organizations, not by UILu Collaboration --> Championships

* - FIRST districts and regions are not linked in any way to UIL districts and regions – just similar terminology

Program Structure –State Championshipsu The UIL State Championships are invitationalu Invitations are based on performance in BEST or FIRST qualifier

meets plus consideration of the number of competing teams in a given location

u Points/rankings systems from Robotics organizationsu UIL collaboration on specifications and priorities for advancement

u The number of slots available is based on the number of qualifier meets and participating teams, plus what the venue and schedule will allow

u Waiting lists are maintained

Competition Season - BEST

u Runs entirely in the fall

u Kickoff events in early September

u Six-week build season

u Practice days and qualifier meets in October through early November

u UIL State Championships (and Texas BEST Regional) in early December

Competition Season - FIRST

u FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) kickoff in early Septemberu Open build season

u Qualifier meets December-February

u UIL State Championships in the spring

u (2020 scheduled for mid-March)

u FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) kickoff in early Januaryu Six week build season (then bag and tag)

u Qualifier meets late February-March

u UIL State Championships in early April

Who Makes the Rules?

u UIL rules determine team eligibility to compete for UIL Championships and specify championship criteria

u UIL Robotics Handbook

u FIRST and BEST rules determine how the contests are run - contest specifications, qualifier structure, judging, scoring, etc.

Local Policies - FAQs

u The following are school district decisions: u Policies for which students receive letters or letter jackets

u Policies concerning teacher compensation (stipends paid to coaches, etc.)

u Policies on use of school facilities, transportation, etc.

Robotics and UIL Classifications

u Robotics is not split into conferences 1A-6A

u BEST Division and FTC in the FIRST Division:

u Two competition groups and two state champions: small school (1A-4A) and large school (5A-6A)

u FRC uses a single competition group

u Further divisional splits will be evaluated and phased in based on participation

UIL Points and TILF Scholarshipsu Robotics receives points toward overall Academics State

Championshipsu 1st place = 20 points; 2nd = 16 pts.; 3rd = 12 pts.; 4th = 10 pts.

(When placement is determined by elimination bracket, non-advancing semifinalists split 3rd and 4th place points)

u No district or regional points

u Lone Star Cup pointsu State 1st place – 6 points; 2nd place – 4 points; 3rd place – 2 points;

State championship berth – 1 point

u TILF eligibilityu Students on teams that finish in the top 10 for their competition

group at the state championships

Team Composition and Student Eligibilityu To be eligible for UIL honors, teams must be:

u High school-based

u Have a majority of students in grades 9-12

u High school-based teams that include some middle school students (composite teams) are eligible for UIL state championships

u Teams that include students from multiple high schools (combined teams) are NOT eligible for UIL state championships

Team Composition

u Both robotics groups are independent organizations with participation rules that include teams that do not fit UIL eligibility requirements

u Teams that do not meet the criteria for UIL eligibility can continue to participate with FIRST or BEST

u Non-UIL teams (home school teams, club-based teams, etc.) are not eligible to receive UIL awards or championships, but can receive awards from FIRST or BEST and advance in those organizational structures

u Also applies for middle school based teams

Concurrent Scheduling

u A UIL Championship and a BEST/FIRST Championship in a single event

u Two scoring tracksu UIL Awards track – only UIL eligible teams, awards presented by UIL

u Robotics Awards track – UIL and non-UIL teams, awards are presented by FIRST or BEST

u Why concurrent versus standalone UIL championship?u Large-scale Robotics events are complex (and expensive) to organize

and to host

u Reduce travel and loss of school time

Robotics In Your School

u Potential to be a program, not just a contestu What makes a program?

u Ties to curriculum

u Dedicated funding, facilities, personnel

u Year-round student engagement

u Multiple platforms for competition

u Engagement of the larger school community

u Reach new groups of studentsu Build a cultureu Think of other programs at your school – band, theatre,

speech/debate, athletics

Which Program to Choose?Some Factors to Consider…u Scheduling

u BEST – compact fall seasonu FRC – compact spring seasonu FTC – season that is more spread out

u Cost and available resourcesu In general, BEST and FTC are less expensive, FRC costs moreu Lots of variables – available facilities/equipment, travel

considerations, etc.

u Personnelu What is the best fit for the educator(s) who will be working with the

robotics program at my school?

Which Program to Choose?Some Factors to Consider…u Educational focus

u In general, BEST and FRC will include a heavier engineering component, while FTC incorporates more programming

u BEST – build from raw materials

u FRC - build with higher-end machining

u FTC – build from prefabricated parts

u Additional competition elementsu Presentations, engineering notebooks, etc.

BEST FTC FRC• 1 team per school• No limit on number of

students

• Up to 15 students per team• Multiple teams per school• One team per school for UIL

State

• 1 team per school• No limit on number of

students

• Fall competition season• September – December

• Fall/spring competition season

• September – April (meets begin late fall)

• Spring competition season• January - April

• Robot size – 24”x24”x24”, 24 lbs. (maximum)

• Returnables kit (hardware and electronics)

• Consumables kit (raw materials, etc.)

• Robot size – 18”x18”x18”• Reusable kit• Some custom parts options

• Robot size – max. 4 ft. tall, 125 lbs.

• Kit provided with registration• Lots of customization

• $750 yearly registration fee (paid to BEST)

• Kit of parts and one qualifier meet included

• $275 yearly registration fee (paid to FIRST)

• Kit of parts (reusable)• Event registration fees

• $5,000 yearly registration fee (paid to FIRST)

• Includes kit of parts and two qualifier meets

• Championship event fees

Basic ComparisonNOTE: Info below is from 2019 – some details may change

Example Robots - BEST

Example Robots - FTC

Example Robots - FRC

Resourcesu Virtual Workshops Summer 2020

u UIL Capital Conference (Virtual Edition)

u Robotics organizations – virtual workshopsu http://www.bestoftexasrobotics.org/workshop-2020.html

u https://firstintexas.org/events-calendar

u Texas Robotics affiliatesu BEST of Texas (www.bestoftexasrobotics.org)

u FIRST in Texas (www.firstintexas.org)

u Networking and mentorsu UIL

u David Trussell, Director of STEM Activities

u robotics@uiltexas.org

Questions