Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES)

LEGO Tutorials for Precollege Outreach

To increase participation in science, technology, engineering, and math programs by precollege students in rural southwestern Virginia, the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES), headquartered at the Virginia Institute of Technology and State University, has developed programs focusing on outreach to elementary and middle school students and teachers. One such program, based on the FIRST™ LEGO™ League (FLL) robotics challenge program, is intended to engage precollege students in an ongoing project related to power controls and design. The CPES initiative provides participating teachers and students with on-site demonstrations, workshops, and mentorship by engineering undergraduate and graduate students.

In 2005, the CPES team completed development of five computer-based tutorials for use in the classroom. Each module consists of a beginner or "Basic" cluster and an "Advanced" cluster. Each tutorial unit consists of a homepage, an introduction, linked lessons, and a glossary targeting the second grade reading level. The modules-Problem Solving, Gears, Power, Sensors, and Programming-were created using FLASH software. In order to facilitate the integration of robotics into the classroom, the FLL contents have been aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning. Teachers may access these standards and benchmarks for each grade, 4-8, for the justification of using the FLL program as a co-curricular activity. In Spring 2005, CPES conducted an in-school usability study, designed to solicit and incorporate teacher and student feedback on the modules. The tutorials will soon be available through the CPES website and the Virginia FIRST Lego League organization.

To learn more about this topic:
Visit the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) FIRST LEGO League tutorials page at http://www.cpes.vt.edu/fll/tutorials.php.

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Last modified: May 5, 2006