This course is for students who have their own (or their school’s) VEX IQ robot at home and want to learn how to program it using the RobotC programming language.  You must have a physical VEX robot to participate in this course (VEX Cortex/EDR or VEX V5 are also permissible). 

This class meets four times a week for 2 weeks and every lesson we will have specific goals to plan and write programs, download them to the robot and test the code.  Students need an area (preferably on the floor) near their computer where they can test their robot running the programs.  If they have a way to show their results by moving their computer camera or utilizing their cell phone or a tablet camera, that would be helpful.  (Students can sign onto the Zoom session with more than one device to facilitate this).  

Each section will be limited to 3 learners so that the sessions can be very interactive between teacher and student and among the learners.  Students will be expected to share their screens to show their code for help and troubleshooting.  The teacher will demonstrate the code on screen and help students perfect their code.  Students will then download their programs and share their results.  Students will be encouraged to help one another, ask questions, and work to solve problems with guidance from the teacher.

Learners need to know how to screen share and how to resize and switch windows so that they can see the teacher’s shared screen AND be able to work in the RobotC program.  They are welcome to sign onto the Zoom session with more than one device if that is easier.  Learners should also know how to share their screen in Zoom.  I can help some with this, but cannot provide extensive technical support.  Parents are welcome to sit off-screen (but cannot participate directly in class) if they think their learner may need some assistance with this.  Students with learning disabilities, dyslexia, ASD, ADHD or other learning challenges are welcome to participate.  Extensive reading is NOT required in this course as most of the coding is block-based with some text input.  (We will be using the "graphical" or block-based version of RobotC, but may introduce some of the text-only version based on learner preferences and needs.)

Lesson 1 - Introduction.  We will talk about the different models you can build with the VEX IQ set, download and set up the software, do a parts check, learn how to update the firmware on the robot and its parts, and talk about good practices.
Lesson 2 - We will write our first programs and learn how to save, download, and test them on the physical robots.  We will concentrate on forward and backward motion and speeds.
Lesson 3 - We will learn how to program the robot to perform swing and pivot turns.
Lesson 4 - We will program to compensate for physical differences in the robot (i.e., robot doesn’t drive completely straight, etc.)
Lesson 5 - We will be introduced to sensors and how to program the robot to respond using the bumper switch.
Lesson 6 - We will learn how to use and program the robot to use the distance sensor.
Lesson 7 - We will program the robots to follow a line on the floor (tape needed).
Lesson 8 - We will delve into how to build and program the robot to do work using its arm, claw, or other add-one.