FIRST Robotics ROP: Grade 12

This course is designed to provide students with the experience of working for an Engineering Design and Manufacturing Company. It is offered thanks to the support of the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) and the Regional Occupation Program (ROP). This simulated company will be set up to design, manufacture, assemble, program, and test a fully functional robot. The robot that the students produce in this course will be entered into the annual FIRST Robotics Competition.

After completing this course, students will have the knowledge and skills necessary to be placed in an internship or entry-level position in their area of specialization. Students will also be academically qualified to pursue higher education in engineering, science, or technology at a college or university.

The students in this course will be broken up into teams that represent the different branches found in a typical engineering company (e.g. mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, etc.) Each of these student teams will focus their learning on one area of engineering technology and then they will be responsible for the successful completion of all of the aspects/components of the robot related to this field of technology. For example, one group of students will focus on electrical engineering and will be responsible for designing, integrating, and testing all of the electrical components of the robot.

Though each group of students will focus on one particular area of technical expertise, all of the groups will work together throughout the entire process from conception to production to ensure that each specialized aspect/component will be able to function as part of a fully-integrated system. This reflects exactly what occurs in private industry; the success of a project not only hinges upon the success of each distinct team, but also upon the ability of the teams to work collectively to make the parts become a unified whole system. Therefore, participating in the robot-build process within this framework will give students a true-to-life engineering experience that is invaluable.

Working for a company as an engineering professional requires more than technical expertise and teamwork. It requires a variety of auxiliary skills that this course will help students acquire, such as planning and working within a budget, scheduling and meeting deadlines, participating in design review meetings, selecting and procuring materials, preparing and delivering presentations, interfacing with industry partners, and soliciting and securing capital investment to ensure the robotics program's sustainability.