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Provide more information for supervisors #608

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2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions _data/sidebar_tree.yaml
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ tree:
- url: /robots_101/
title: Robots 101
tree:
- url: /robots_101/programme_structure
title: Programme Structure
- url: /robots_101/post_kickstart
title: After Kickstart
- url: /robots_101/design
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4 changes: 3 additions & 1 deletion robots_101/index.md
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Expand Up @@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ title: Robots 101

Robots 101 is a series aimed at helping teams new to Student Robotics get started.

There are 6 articles in this series:
There are 7 articles in this series:

- [Programme Structure]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/programme_structure): What happens during the course of the year
- [Post-Kickstart]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/post_kickstart): You've attended our Kickstart event and are now ready to build your robot
- [Design]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/design): How to approach the design of your robot
- [Code]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/code): Things to consider when writing code for your robot
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100 changes: 100 additions & 0 deletions robots_101/programme_structure.md
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@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
---
layout: page
title: Robots 101 - Programme Structure
---

# Robots 101 - Programme Structure

Student Robotics is an annual robotics competition for people aged 16-19.
But what actually happens during the course of the competition year?

## Registration

Registration for the competition usually opens in late summer. Teams usually
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consist of 4-8 competitors attending a school or college, though other groups
are also free to enter. Your team must have a responsible adult who will oversee
the team (a role we call the [team supervisor][team-supervisor]) and they must
be the person to [sign up][sign-up].

While places are free (thanks to our [sponsors][sponsors]), they are limited.
You will be notified whether or not your team has received a place shortly
before the start of the competition year.

<!-- TODO: add something about the pre-kickstart activities once they're published -->

## Kickstart

Kickstart is the event which kicks off a competition year. The structure of the
competition and the [game rules][rules] are announced and any questions you have
will be answered.

Typically this is a one day in-person event in October (usually a Saturday).
Throughout the day there are Blueshirts (our awesome volunteers!) around in
person, ready to answer any questions and to help you through the
[microgames][microgames]. The microgames help you become familiar with the
[kit][kit] which is loaned to all teams and should kickstart some ideas for your
robot’s design.

## Mentoring

Shortly after Kickstart we aim to pair up teams with a volunteer mentor who can
guide the team and help them with any technical questions. Where possible the
mentor will join the team's meetings in person, though we also offer remote
mentors if that is not possible.

All teams also have access to our [Discord][discord] server where they can chat
with all our volunteers (as well as other teams) at any time.

## Your time

Most teams work on their robot for at least two hours a week, with some teams
spending four hours or more. How this time is scheduled varies between teams --
some have more than one meeting a week, others have less frequent but longer
sessions.

To get the most out of the time, ensure sessions are long enough to make useful
progress after allowing for setting up beforehand and tidying away afterwards.

## Tech Days

Throughout the year [Tech Days][tech-days] provide opportunities to spend a
whole day (usually a Saturday) working on your robot, with lots of help
available. They’re also an opportunity to see how other teams are doing or get
more direct help with your robot.

We provide a space for you to work in, with power and internet access, as well
as volunteers able to help with the kits and hands-on guidance with your robot.

## Virtual Competition

The Virtual Competition is often the first change you'll have to test your
strategies against other teams. You'll submit your robot code for running
against other teams in the [simulator][simulator]. The matches are livestreamed
on our [YouTube Channel][youtube] and you'll get a copy of your robot's logs
afterwards so you can continue to improve it.

## Competition
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There's no mention of the virtual competition here - should there be? :)

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@antonnikitin97 antonnikitin97 Aug 31, 2024

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+ friendlies.

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There's also no mention of the Challenges either. I deliberately didn't mention them -- they felt "small" enough not to worry about as well as being a bit more tied to the specifics of the content of the year rather than the structure. The Virtual Competition perhaps is different though 🤔 I don't think the friendlies are though (plus we don't always run them).

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Agreed with the challenges and friendlies - may be worth mentioning the virtual comp.

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The Competition event is a two day event in spring. It's the ultimate test for
your robot in a weekend of tinkering and matches.

You'll have a team pit for you to work in, with power and internet access, and
throughout the weekend there are volunteers around to help with the kits and
hands-on guidance with your robot. We also provide a test arena which you can
use to check the improvements you're making to your robot.

Typically there are blocks of league matches on the Saturday and on Sunday
morning, with time to improve your robot between appearances. On Sunday
afternoon you'll advance into the knockout stages, and can go on to win prizes.


[team-supervisor]: {{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/team_supervisor
[sign-up]: https://studentrobotics.org/compete/#signup
[sponsors]: https://studentrobotics.org/sponsor/
[rules]: {{ site.baseurl }}/rules/
[microgames]: {{ site.baseurl }}/competitor_resources/microgames
[kit]: {{ site.baseurl }}/kit/
[discord]: {{ site.baseurl }}/tutorials/discord
[tech-days]: {{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/tech_days
[simulator]: {{ site.baseurl }}/simulator/
[youtube]: https://www.youtube.com/@studentrobotics
28 changes: 25 additions & 3 deletions robots_101/team_supervisor.md
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Expand Up @@ -7,17 +7,32 @@ title: Robots 101 - So you're running a team

Here’s a little bit of info on what to expect from Student Robotics, and your responsibilities as a team supervisor.

As a team supervisor, your role is to guide the competitors through the journey of building a robot. You’ll be there to point them in the right direction when they get stuck and resolve any issues they run into. We encourage team supervisors to limit their involvement with the robot design/building process so that the finished contraptions are 100% student-built which competitors find very rewarding.
## Your role

As a team supervisor, your role is to guide the competitors through the journey of building a robot. You’ll be there to point them in the right direction when they get stuck and resolve any issues they run into.
You don't need to have any technical skills though -- our volunteer mentors can provide that [support](#support) either in person or remotely.
We encourage team supervisors to limit their involvement with the [robot design]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/design)/building process so that the finished contraptions are 100% student-built which competitors find very rewarding.

You’ll be our point of contact with the team. If you have any questions during the year, just email <{{ site.emails.teams }}>. We’ll also be sending you emails every month or so with important information such as:
- Details of [Tech Days]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/tech_days) where we provide a space for teams to come together and get direct help from our dedicated volunteers
- Software updates for our kit
- Information about the competition event (usually in late March or April)
- Information about the [competition event]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/programme_structure#competition) (usually in late March or April)

We aim to host our Kickstart event and Tech Days in multiple locations to make it more convenient for you to travel. However, you will still need to arrange to travel to these places.
This is especially important to book for the competition, as you will likely need to arrange to stay overnight near the venue.

Our kit includes a battery and a few boards to get your robot started. However, your team will need additional components and materials from which to build their robot. For the chassis, your team has several options. Teams often use cardboard, MDF, Aluminium, and/or Acrylic. In terms of electronic components, teams often make use of:
## The team
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Not super happy with this section heading name; would appreciate some suggestions.


Teams usually consist of 4-8 competitors aged 16-19 and are often attending a school or college.
However, the team doesn't necessarily need to represent a school -- any group of 16-19 year-olds, with a responsible adult, can enter.
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Most teams work on their robot for at least two hours a week, with some teams spending four hours or more.
How this time is scheduled varies between teams -- some have more than one meeting a week, others have less frequent but longer sessions.
To get the most out of the time, ensure sessions are long enough to make useful progress after allowing for setting up beforehand and tidying away afterwards.

## Materials

Our [kit]({{ site.baseurl }}/kit/) includes a battery and a few boards to get your robot started. However, your team will need additional components and materials from which to build their robot. For the chassis, your team has several options. Teams often use cardboard, MDF, Aluminium, and/or Acrylic. In terms of electronic components, teams often make use of:
- At least two 12V motors (our kit supports four)
- A few servo motors
- A few microswitches for detecting if you bump into something
Expand All @@ -33,6 +48,13 @@ Popular suppliers of these components are:
- [Amazon](https://www.amazon.co.uk/)
- [eBay](https://www.ebay.co.uk/)

Your team will also need access to a computer to write the [code]({{ site.baseurl }}/robots_101/code) for their robot.
Ideally this would be one that can be brought to events so that improvements can be made to the robot at any time.

Being able to install software onto the computer will also be important to make use of the [simulator]({{ site.baseurl }}/simulator/) and a suitable [code editor]({{ site.baseurl }}/tutorials/editors/).

## Support

To allow you and your team to ask us questions directly, as well as share what they’re working on with other teams, we provide a [Discord]({{ site.baseurl }}/tutorials/discord) server. You will receive a unique link to share with your team so that you can all join with your own Discord accounts. Each team gets a private text channel for direct support from us which can be used to discuss your robot without worrying about giving other teams your strategy. We also have a team-supervisor only channel for any questions you may have. There are also some text channels where teams can communicate with each other (and us!) for more general topics. If you’d like a voice channel for your team, email us or ask in `#team-supervisor`!

If you’d like additional support throughout the year, we have dedicated mentors who can regularly join your team meetings either in-person or remotely. Your mentor will help guide your team towards good solutions for their robot, provide assistance where they might need it as well as help them understand the kit, the rules and the competition as a whole. We *strongly* encourage new teams to sign up for mentoring. If this sounds like something you’d like, look out for our email shortly after Kickstart.
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