Outcomes
What the students say about the module:
"It's been good, even if you haven't done any electronics before." Logan
"At the start I thought it was going to be horrible because it looked like I was going to be the only girl… but then it turned out to be really exciting!" Denise.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the unit… it taught me lots of new skills in electronics and programming." Daniel.
"At first I was scared of doing things and failing.. but with the help of my teacher and other students I now enjoy electronics." Tiho.
John found that students engaged immediately with the coursework and were highly motivated to learn what they needed to produce their own working robot.
"As soon as I mentioned the word 'robot', their minds started to buzz… they liked the idea of programming the latest technology."
With the resource booklets and PowerPoint presentation to refer to when required, students could work more independently and at their own pace. This ensured that most students were able to pick up the required electronic knowledge and skills and understand the basic workings of the chip.
"They're making something that they're keen to get working and they're learning all about the electronic components they're using. There's a wide spread of abilities in the class and I've made sure that everyone can get a successful outcome and the quicker students can be extended as well"
All students had an immense sense of achievement by the end of the module. Many had developed competency and understanding to a level that genuinely challenged John as to how they could extend the performance of their robot. This forced John to continually upskill himself and to think of new avenues that students could pursue.
While ongoing preparation of student resources was hugely time consuming, it resulted in greatly improved student practice and quality of the outcomes produced.
"It's taken a lot of developing but it means that in class I've been able to focus more on explaining what's going on and why they are doing things this way. And the result is that they're not having to come to me so often to ask things."
