Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy

Use educational affordances of robotics to create CS-STEM opportunities for all learners

Available Curricula for VEX V5 and VEX EXP

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This curriculum provides a structured sequence of programming activities in real-world project-based contexts. The projects are designed to get students thinking about the patterns and structure of not just robotics, but also programming and problem-solving more generally. This curriculum includes videos, animations, and step-by-step lessons designed to help learners foster Computational Thinking using the VEX V5 hardware and VEXcode programming software.

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Software Foundations with VEX V5 is an introduction to programming concepts. Students who complete this curriculum demonstrate an understanding of the software engineering process through repeated planning, testing, and iteration throughout the units. Students also learn basic robot movement, how to use feedback from different kinds of sensors, and how to create complex programs using loops and decision-making logic.

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Mechanical Foundations focuses on mechanical concepts such as structural design, weight distribution, drivetrains, fastening, the relationship between speed and torque, and alternate methods of transferring motion such as linear slides and belts and pulleys. This curriculum familiarizes students with the foundational skills needed to understand how components come together and different use cases for creating motion. 

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Available Curricula for VEX IQ

This curriculum provides a structured sequence of programming activities in real-world project-based contexts. The projects are designed to get students thinking about the patterns and structure of not just robotics, but also programming and problem-solving more generally. This curriculum includes videos, animations, and step-by-step lessons designed to help learners foster Computational Thinking using the VEX IQ 2nd Gen hardware and VEXcode programming software

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Access this free curriculum on the CS-STEM Network!

Introduction to Programming with VEXcode IQ Blocks provides a structured sequence of programming activities in real-world project-based contexts. The projects are designed to get students thinking about the patterns and structure of not just robotics, but also programming and problem-solving more generally. This curriculum includes videos, animations, and step-by-step lessons designed to help beginners learn behavior-based programming using the VEX IQ hardware and VEXcode IQ Blocks scratch-based programming software.

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Access the curriculum directly on the CS-STEM Network

The Introduction to Programming with VEX IQ (ROBOTC Graphical) Curriculum features lesson for the VEX IQ Microcontroller; the curriculum’s focus is to teach beginning programmers how to program using ROBOTC’s graphical programming environment. All of the challenges in the curriculum have are available in the Robot Virtual World simulation environment. The majority of the challenges found in this curriculum is simulated in the Robot Virtual World Curriculum Challenge Pack.

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The ROBOTC Intermediate Programming for VEX IQ includes programming lessons for text-based ROBOTC, engineering challenges, step-by-step videos, support material, and more. 

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Available Curricula for VEX EDR (Legacy)

The VEX Cortex Video Trainer is a multimedia-rich curriculum featuring lessons for the VEX Cortex Microcontroller; the curriculum’s focus is to teach how to program, but it also includes multi-faceted engineering challenges, step-by-step videos, and robotics engineering teacher support materials. The majority of the challenges found in the Cortex Video trainer have been simulated in the Robot Virtual World Curriculum Companion.

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The VEX 2.0 curriculum was developed for the VEX PIC hardware platform.  It is no longer available as a product, but many teachers like many of the lessons that are found with this VEX curriculum.  Click on ‘More Information’ button to preview the full curriculum.

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