2018-2019 FIRST Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual
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2 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual Sponsor Thank You Thank you to our generous sponsors for your continued support of the FIRST® Tech Challenge! Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 |3 Volunteer Thank You Thank you for taking the time to volunteer for a FIRST® Tech Challenge event. FIRST® and FIRST® Tech Challenge rely heavily on volunteers to ensure events run smoothly and are a fun experience for teams and their families, which could not happen without people like you. With over 5,500 teams competing yearly, your dedication and commitment are essential to the success of each event and the FIRST Tech Challenge program. Thank you for your time and effort in supporting the mission of FIRST! Revision History Revision Date Description 1 10/17/2018 Initial Release 1.1 11/12/2018 • Changes to required language for Engineering Notebook (pg 27). • Updated Volunteer Training and Certification Instructions • Appendix A – Update to on call event support line to include scoring system support. • Appendix C o Removed reference to PTC from Design Award o Removed legacy requirements from Think and Connect Award • Appendices H and J – Removed reference to PTC from Design Award • Minor formatting changes throughout document 1.2 01/24/2019 • Logo Lockup Update 1.3 3/12/2019 • Removed track changes Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................ 7 What is FIRST® Tech Challenge? .................................................................................................................. 7 FIRST Core Values ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Gracious Professionalism® ................................................................................................................................ 7 Gracious Professionalism for Volunteers........................................................................................................ 7 FIRST Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 8 NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION ............................................................................................................ 8 Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities ............................................................................................................ 8 Volunteer Code of Conduct ............................................................................................................................... 9 Tournament Organization Structure ................................................................................................................. 10 What is the FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual? ......................................................... 11 Job Description ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Physical/Technical Requirements ................................................................................................................ 11 Volunteer Training and Certification ............................................................................................................. 11 Training Requirements: ............................................................................................................................ 12 Volunteer Minimum Age Requirement .......................................................................................................... 12 Volunteer Judge Minimum Age Requirement............................................................................................ 12 Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
4 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual Key Volunteer Role Minimum Age Requirement ....................................................................................... 12 Bring a Friend! ............................................................................................................................................. 12 FIRST Tech Challenge Philosophy of Judging ................................................................................................. 12 Overview of Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................ 13 Judge ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 During the event, Judges will: ................................................................................................................... 13 Judge Match Observer ................................................................................................................................. 13 Judge Advisor .............................................................................................................................................. 14 Judge Advisor Assistant ............................................................................................................................... 14 At the event, the Judge Assistant will:....................................................................................................... 14 Pre-Event Day Responsibilities........................................................................................................................ 15 Event Day Timeline ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Review Game Manuals ................................................................................................................................ 15 Confirm Additional Responsibilities (Judge Advisor)..................................................................................... 15 Confirm Awards ........................................................................................................................................... 16 FIRST Tech Challenge Award Eligibility and Advancement Criteria ............................................................. 16 Eligibility ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 Eligibility for Judged Awards ........................................................................................................................ 16 Inspire Award Eligibility ............................................................................................................................. 16 Eligibility for Advancement ........................................................................................................................... 16 Order of Advancement ................................................................................................................................. 17 Event Day Schedule ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Communicate with Judges (Judge Advisor) ................................................................................................. 20 Train Judges (Judge Advisor) ...................................................................................................................... 21 Create Formal Interview Panel (Judge Advisor) ........................................................................................... 21 Pairing Technical and Non-Technical Judges .............................................................................................. 22 Pairing Experienced and Inexperienced Judges........................................................................................... 22 Alumni .......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Managing Personality Types ........................................................................................................................ 22 Schedule for Judging Sessions (Judge Advisor) .......................................................................................... 22 Scheduling Tips ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Example Schedule.................................................................................................................................... 22 Judging Supplies.......................................................................................................................................... 24 Event Day Responsibilities .............................................................................................................................. 24 Morning Meeting .......................................................................................................................................... 24 Formal Team Interviews ............................................................................................................................... 25 Understanding Differences ........................................................................................................................... 26 Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 |5 Autism Awareness ....................................................................................................................................... 26 Engineering Notebook.................................................................................................................................. 26 Engineering Notebook Requirements ....................................................................................................... 27 Judging the Engineering Notebook .............................................................................................................. 27 Engineering Notebook Requirements by Award ........................................................................................... 27 Award Criteria .................................................................................................................................................. 29 Inspire Award ............................................................................................................................................... 29 Required criteria for the Inspire Award:..................................................................................................... 29 Think Award ................................................................................................................................................. 29 Required criteria for the Think Award:....................................................................................................... 30 Connect Award ............................................................................................................................................ 30 Required criteria for the Connect Award: .................................................................................................. 30 Rockwell Collins Innovate Award ................................................................................................................. 31 Required criteria for the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award: ....................................................................... 31 Design Award .............................................................................................................................................. 31 Required criteria for the Design Award: .................................................................................................... 31 Motivate Award ............................................................................................................................................ 31 Required criteria for the Motivate Award: .................................................................................................. 31 Control Award .............................................................................................................................................. 32 Required criteria for the Control Award: .................................................................................................... 32 Promote Award (Optional) ............................................................................................................................ 33 Required criteria for the Promote Award: .................................................................................................. 33 Compass Award (Optional) .......................................................................................................................... 33 Required criteria for the Compass Award: ................................................................................................ 34 Video Award Submission Guidelines............................................................................................................ 34 Judges’ Award ............................................................................................................................................. 34 Gracious Professionalism and Award Eligibility ............................................................................................ 34 Observation ................................................................................................................................................. 35 Initial Deliberations ....................................................................................................................................... 35 The process for handling Judge Deliberations is as follows: ..................................................................... 35 Hard Luck Stories ........................................................................................................................................ 35 How to Advocate for the teams you nominate for an award.......................................................................... 35 Create Specialized Award Panel (Judge Advisor) ........................................................................................ 36 Pit Interviews and Match Observation .......................................................................................................... 36 Feedback from Field Personnel (Judge Advisor) .......................................................................................... 36 Final Deliberations ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Equitable Distribution of Awards .................................................................................................................. 37 Award Scripts ............................................................................................................................................... 37 Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
6 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual Example: .................................................................................................................................................. 37 End of the Day ................................................................................................................................................. 38 Awards and Closing Ceremony .................................................................................................................... 38 Feedback to Teams ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Notes Taken During Judging ........................................................................................................................ 38 Appendix A – Resources ................................................................................................................................. 39 Game Forum Q&A ....................................................................................................................................... 39 FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manuals ........................................................................................................ 39 FIRST Headquarters Pre-Event Support ...................................................................................................... 39 FIRST Tech Challenge Event On-Call Support ............................................................................................ 39 FIRST Websites ........................................................................................................................................... 39 FIRST Tech Challenge Social Media ........................................................................................................... 39 Feedback ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Appendix B: Sample Judge Questions............................................................................................................. 40 Here are some sample questions that Judges might ask a team: ................................................................. 40 Appendix C: Judge Summary Sheet ................................................................................................................ 41 Appendix D: Team Self Reflection Sheet ......................................................................................................... 43 Using the FIRST Tech Challenge Judging Session Self-Reflection Sheet .................................................... 43 Why Team Self-Reflection?.......................................................................................................................... 43 The FIRST Tech Challenge Team Judging Session Self-Reflection Sheet................................................... 43 Using the Self-Reflection Sheet ................................................................................................................... 43 Ideas for When and How to do Team Self-Reflection ................................................................................... 43 Appendix E: Pre-Event Checklist ..................................................................................................................... 45 Talk through the entire event ahead of time with Tournament Director......................................................... 45 As Judges are recruited, get their preferred “name”, email & cell! ................................................................ 45 Once you know how many Interview rooms will be available: ....................................................................... 45 Appendix F: Conflict of Interest ........................................................................................................................ 46 Conflict of Interest ........................................................................................................................................ 46 Parent/Relative/Alumni of a Team ............................................................................................................ 46 Appendix G: Supply and Print List ................................................................................................................... 47 Supply List ................................................................................................................................................... 47 Print List ....................................................................................................................................................... 47 Appendix H: FIRST Tech Challenge Award Record Sheet .............................................................................. 48 Appendix I: Judge Match Observer Sheet ....................................................................................................... 49 Appendix J: Sample List for Deliberations ....................................................................................................... 50 Appendix K: FIRST Dean’s List Award ............................................................................................................ 51 Overview ...................................................................................................................................................... 51 Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 |7 Dean’s List Award Evaluation Structure ....................................................................................................... 51 Dean’s List Interviewer ................................................................................................................................. 51 Dean’s List Reviewer ................................................................................................................................... 52 Introduction What is FIRST® Tech Challenge? FIRST® Tech Challenge is a student-centered program that focuses on giving students a unique and stimulating experience. Each year, teams engage in a new game where they design, build, test, and program autonomous and driver operated robots that must perform a series of tasks. To learn more about FIRST® Tech Challenge and other FIRST® Programs, visit www.firstinspires.org. FIRST Core Values We express the FIRST® philosophies of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® through our Core Values: • Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas. • Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems. • Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world. • Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences. • Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together. • Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do! Gracious Professionalism® FIRST® uses this term to describe our programs’ intent and Gracious Professionalism® is not clearly defined for a reason. It has different meanings to everyone. Some possible meanings of Gracious Professionalism include: • Gracious attitudes and behaviors are win-win. • Gracious folks respect others and let that respect show in their actions. • Gracious Professionals make valued contributions in a way that is pleasing to others and to themselves. In the end, Gracious Professionalism® is part of everyday life. When professionals use their knowledge graciously and individuals act with integrity and sensitivity, everyone wins, and society benefits. Watch Dr. Woodie Flowers explain Gracious Professionalism in this short video. Gracious Professionalism for Volunteers It is a good idea to spend time going over this concept with volunteers. Provide volunteers with real-life examples of Gracious Professionalism in practice before, during, and after the event and recognize great Gracious Professionalism when you see it in action! Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
8 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual FIRST Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®) does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a veteran who served in the military, religion, gender, gender identity, or gender expression in its programs and activities. Keep updated at: http://www.firstinspires.org/about/legal-notices Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities Volunteers are the most valuable asset to FIRST®. Your selfless contribution of time and resources are instrumental in accomplishing our mission of inspiring the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics leaders and innovators. The foundation of the relationship between FIRST and our volunteers is respect. It is your right to: • Be treated with Gracious Professionalism®. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. • Feel valued. FIRST recognizes the significant efforts that volunteers contribute. The time that you donate not only helps FIRST succeed but also builds the FIRST community. • Understand your role. FIRST will inform you about what’s expected of you, your schedule, any meals you will be provided, any changes to program or policy, and who to contact should you need assistance. • Expect a safe environment. FIRST strives to create and maintain a safe environment for all volunteers and participants and will always factor safety into program planning. • Receive fair treatment and inclusion. All volunteers will be treated with respect and dignity in inclusive environments. FIRST does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a veteran who served in the military, religion, sexuality, gender, gender identity, or gender expression in its programs and activities. • Reevaluate your time commitment. FIRST appreciates all of our volunteers and understands that volunteers experience life situations that may affect their commitment. • Communicate with your Volunteer Coordinator or your local FIRST leadership about: o Concerns or limitations that are affecting your volunteer role. o Any mistreatment towards you or others. You may be required to fill out a non-medical incident form. o Contact FIRST Headquarters directly if you feel that you are being treated improperly and attempts to resolve issues and conflicts at the local level are not successful. Volunteers can call (800) 871-8326 or email volunteer@firstinspires.org. It is your responsibility to: • Treat others with Gracious Professionalism®. • Follow the schedule and the role description provided for your position. Contact your local FIRST leadership if there are any issues. • Respect others, treat them fairly and kindly. Be inclusive and follow the non-discrimination policy of FIRST. Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 |9 • Follow safety rules and ensure safety of others. Adhere to all FIRST Youth Protection Program (YPP) policies. Report any injuries or safety concerns within 48 hours. • Adhere to the FIRST Code of Conduct. • Have FUN! Volunteer Code of Conduct The mission of FIRST is to inspire a generation of science and technology leaders who are both gracious and professional. This FIRST Code of Conduct lists some of the basic behaviors mentors, coaches, volunteers, team members, Affiliate Partners, contractors, staff, and other participants should adhere to while participating in FIRST activities. • Exhibit Gracious Professionalism ® always. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. • Ensure the safety of all participants in FIRST activities. • Not engage in any form of bullying, harassment, use of profane or insulting language, or any actual or threatened violence. • Adhere to all FIRST Youth Protection Program (YPP) policies. • Report any unsafe behavior to event or local FIRST leadership. Should a volunteer not comply with the Code of Conduct, they may be barred from participating in future FIRST activities. Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
10 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual Tournament Organization Structure Figure 1 - League Championship, Qualifying Tournament, Championship Tournament Organization Figure 2 - League Meet Organization Learn more about the roles of volunteers on our Volunteer Resources page, “Volunteer Role Description”. Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 | 11 What is the FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual? The purpose of the FIRST Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Guide is to: • Define the role of a Judge at a FIRST Tech Challenge event • Define the role of a Judge Advisor at a FIRST Tech Challenge event • Provide Judges and Judge Advisors a baseline understanding of what to expect when volunteering • Familiarize Judges and Judge Advisors with each award and the specific criteria for each • Provide step by step instructions on the deliberation process The guide focuses on the skills and concepts needed for to develop the following general goals: • Provide an understanding of the team interview process • Provide instructions on how to review the engineering notebook • Provide information on how to evaluate the Control Award • Provide a step-by-step process for deciding award finalists and winners This manual will be broken out into two sections. The first section includes information for Judges and Judge Advisors. The second section includes more information that is specific to the Judge Advisor role. This guide would not be possible without the contributions of time, ideas, and resources provided by the following people: Jill Wilker, Kevin Ross, Carol Edelman, Chris Rake, Anika Greene, and Robert Swider Job Description Physical/Technical Requirements: • Technical – Medium • Physical – Medium • Administrative – Medium • Communication – High Time Commitment: • A Judge can expect to commit to at least one full day for the event, about 10 hours. Larger events could span multiple days. Be sure to check with your Volunteer Coordinator for an understanding of the duration of the event. • A Judge Advisor should expect to commit three full days. One at the event, one planning for the event, and one training the Judging team. • Proper Dress: Judges are often provided with a shirt to wear during competition. Check with the Tournament Director before the event if a shirt will be provided. Some Judges observe matches, and interview teams in the pit area so be sure to wear comfortable, close toed shoes. ANSI Z87.1 certified safety glasses are required in the pit and competition area. Volunteer Training and Certification Volunteers must apply to their role using the Volunteer Registration System. After the volunteer has applied to their role, FIRST Tech Challenge will send an email to the volunteer with access instructions to training and certifications (if applicable). Emails with access to the training and certifications will be sent within one business day from applying to the role. If you have applied for a role but have not received access to the training, please email FTCTrainingSupport@firstinspires.org. Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
12 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual Training Requirements: • Judges and Judge Advisors should read and understand this Manual before volunteering at an event. • Judges and Judge Advisors must watch the appropriate training videos. • Both Judges and Judge Advisors MUST take a Certification test to test their knowledge. • The estimated time frame for training is 2 hours. Volunteer Minimum Age Requirement FIRST requires that FIRST event volunteers be at least 13 years old for most roles. Please Note the exceptions listed below. The Regional Planning Committee can increase the age requirement as needed. Adult volunteers cannot have children with them while volunteering nor be responsible for supervising children at the event. Children under the minimum age are welcome at FIRST competitions with suitable supervision by someone other than a volunteer. Volunteer Judge Minimum Age Requirement The minimum age allowed for Judges is 21. Students who have been a part of a team must be at least 3 years removed from the team before they can serve as a Judge at an Official FIRST Tech Challenge tournament. Key Volunteer Role Minimum Age Requirement Volunteers MUST be at least 21 years old before they can serve in a Key Volunteer Role for the FIRST Tech Challenge. Key Volunteer positions include: Volunteer Coordinator, Head Referee, Judge Advisor, Field Manager, Field Technical Advisor, Lead Hardware Inspector, Lead Software Inspector, and Lead Scorekeeper. Bring a Friend! Volunteers are a huge part of the FIRST Tech Challenge Program and continuing to inspire students to seek out careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). FIRST Tech Challenge needs your help in recruiting new volunteers to keep our programs thriving for future generations! If you have a friend or co-worker you think would be interested in volunteering at an event, there are just a few easy steps to help get them involved! 1. Check out our full list of volunteer opportunities online! 2. Have them apply for the event in the Volunteer Registration System. volunteers must be screened before volunteering. 3. Have them contact FTCTeams@firstinspires.org with any questions they may have. If they are concerned about jumping in head first, no worries! Job shadowing at a FIRST Tech Challenge event is a great way to get a taste of what a full day’s worth of competition looks like. New volunteers can discover ways they can fit their personal skills into a volunteer position! FIRST Tech Challenge Philosophy of Judging FIRST recognizes both on-field performance, and the characters that help FIRST achieve its mission to change culture by inspiring young people. Awards are earned by teams for their ability to play the game, while Judges decide the awards given for off-field performance. FIRST Tech Challenge awards fall into two general categories: Machine, Creativity, and Innovation (MCI), and Team Attribute (TA). MCI awards recognize the technical accomplishments of teams in planning, designing, construction, operation, and control of their robots. The Think Award, Design Award, Rockwell Collins Innovate Award, and Control Award are all MCI awards. TA awards recognize the success of teams in developing strong partnerships with their community. This includes recruiting members, fund-raising, and the team’s Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 | 13 outreach efforts to spread FIRST’s message about the benefits that can come from the study of math, science, and technology. The Inspire Award, Connect Award, and Motivate Award are all TA awards. Interaction between Judges and students is an important ingredient of the FIRST experience. The awards are a vehicle FIRST uses to inspire students and open their eyes to the future that awaits them if they continue their studies. To that end, the awards help promote a positive student interaction with Judges who are successful professionals who can recognize their achievements and encourage them to continue learning. All award winners chosen by the Judges should be recognized as being fine examples of the award guidelines, not necessarily the “best” team. This idea will help with deliberations, as some Judges may dig their heels in when advocating for a specific team to win an award. Teams will be recognized at the awards ceremony. Each winner should display role-model behavior and show Gracious Professionalism to everyone they meet at the event. Award scripts are written for the positive qualities the team displays, rather than recognizing the hardships the team had to overcome. The message to the audience about each award winner should be an uplifting one. Overview of Responsibilities Judge The primary role of a Judge is to interview teams, and to decide which teams deserve an award based on team interviews, the robot, match play, and the engineering notebook. Judges are paired in groups of 2-3 to interview a set number of teams before the competition beginning as well as interviews in the pit area. During the event, Judges will: • Conduct team interviews. • Review team engineering notebooks. • Watch Competition matches. • Decide the 3 top ranked teams for each Judged award. • Come to consensus with other Judges on the recipient of each award. • Share their notes on top ranked and winning teams with the Judge Advisor and other Judges for use in Award Ceremony script. This guide will walk through in detail all the responsibilities a Judge will have to prepare them for competition day. Finally, make sure to smile, and enjoy your day! Judge Match Observer Most of the Judges will be involved in the Judge interviews and will not have much time to see the teams and robots in action. Two or three Judges will be asked to serve as Judge Match Observers. Their role is to observe the teams Gracious Professionalism®, the action on the field, and collect data on the quality of the robot performance in the contest. These Observers will keep notes on each team during a match, collecting observations about: Gracious Professionalism®: • How the team responds to wins or losses • How the team interacts with their alliance partner. • How the team interacts with the event volunteers. • How the team interacts with other teams Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
14 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual • How the team members interact with one another • How the team approaches their conversation with the Head Referee in the Question Box Robot and Match Play: • Autonomous Operation • Robots reliability during the match. • Team Strategy Many of the awards that are discussed during deliberations have qualities that need to be observed during the competition. The Judge Match Observer will be able to see all the teams more than once and collect information on each. We recommend having a Match Observer sheet for each team to help keep organized. The Match Observers will be involved in the deliberations by providing much-needed feedback to the other Judges about the team, the team strategy, the team’s interactions with others, and the operational qualities of the robots. Judge Advisor The primary role of a Judge Advisor is to facilitate Judge deliberations and decision-making after all the team interviews have been completed for the day. The Judge Advisor does not take part in the interview process, and does not select teams for awards, instead they work with the Judges to help guide them in deciding on award winners. The Judge Advisor keeps the group of Judges moving forward with award decisions. The Judge Advisor ensures decisions are made on time, and that scripts are written when needed by the Tournament Director. Other responsibilities may vary from region to region. This manual will provide the Judge Advisor information about many aspects of the role they may need to fulfill as well as being the facilitator. In the next section we will cover in more detail what a Judge Advisor should ask the Tournament Director about added responsibilities. The Judge Advisor is there to make sure all the FIRST Tech Challenge teams have a high-quality experience with the Judging process. Every team should feel like they were treated fairly and given the opportunity to show the Judges their accomplishments. The key to a high-quality experience is planning well for the event. Judge Advisor Assistant The Judge Advisor Assistant is responsible for helping the Judge Advisor throughout the event, providing computer support (word processing), and performing other duties as assigned. The Judge Assistant is not a Judge and does not interview teams or take part in award deliberation or recipient selection process. The Judge Assistant is responsible for setting up the Judge’s room on the evening before or morning of the event. They are also responsible for breaking it down after the Judges have reached their decisions. The Judge Advisor Assistant should be chosen for their discretion as well as organizational abilities, as they will hear and see the overall Judging process and must be able to keep the discussions confidential. At the event, the Judge Assistant will: • Act as timekeeper for Judge interviews. • Help to coordinate team queuing • Update Judges on any schedule changes that occur throughout the day. • Provide Judges with engineering notebooks. • Provide an extra pair of eyes and ears for the Judges. Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 | 15 Occasionally, the Judge Advisor Assistant may be a volunteer who is interested in becoming a Judge Advisor. The position can also be used as a way for a volunteer to shadow the Judge Advisor, learn about how this position works, and get a better understanding of the responsibilities involved. Pre-Event Day Responsibilities Before the event, Judges and Judge Advisors read and watch the training materials and take a certification test to help reinforce their knowledge of the position. This certification is required for both Judges and Judge Advisors. It is strongly suggested that Judge Advisors take part in monthly discussion calls. These calls are set up for Judge Advisors in multiple regions to share tips and best practices with each other, to ask questions, and to build a sense of community among regions. The call schedule is emailed to Judge Advisors once they are assigned to their role by their local Volunteer Coordinator. In many regions, the Judge Advisor is responsible for building the Judging schedule, with the Tournament Director and the Lead Inspector. Judge Advisors should also play a role in assuring the event Judges are trained and may provide added training to those volunteers. The scoring system will build a Judging and Inspection schedule based on the number of teams, the number of Judges, and the number of Inspectors expected at the event. It’s important to build in a little slack time, for teams who are unintentionally late to the event. Judge Advisors should communicate with the Judges before the event to share information (where, when, what to bring), and to gather information about the Judges preferences, expertise and potential conflicts of interest. Event Day Timeline Below is an example timeline of what an event day can look like. 6:45 – 7:15 7:30 – 9:30 9:30 – 10:00 10:15 – 10:30 10:30 – 12:00 12:00 – 1:00 1:00 – 2:00 2:00 – 2:30 3:30 Morning Initial Opening Pit Interviews/Match Closing Team Interviews LUNCH Final Deliberations Award Scripts Meeting Deliberations Ceremony Observation Ceremony Review Game Manuals Judges must review the following sections of the Game Manual Part 1: • Section 4.0 – Tournament overview. This provides detailed information about the flow of the event day. • Section 7.3 – Engineering Notebooks • Section 7.0 – Judging and Award Criteria Judges can also review the Game Manual Part 2 (although not required) to be familiar with this season’s game. Confirm Additional Responsibilities (Judge Advisor) The Judge Advisor must speak with the Tournament Director to decide all their responsibilities before the competition. Depending on the region, a Judge Advisor may have additional responsibility on top of their primary role of facilitator. Have a conversation with the Tournament Director to decide: • Who is responsible for allocating interview/deliberation space at the event location? • Who is responsible for creating the Judging schedule? • Who is responsible for bringing Judging supplies (such as safety glasses, pens, paper) to the event? • Who is responsible for printing and bringing materials for Judges such as Judge Summary Sheets, Match Observation Sheets, etc.? Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
16 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual This Manual will include sections that discuss how to carry out each of these in the case the Judge Advisor is responsible for any of the above assignments. There is also a checklist in Appendix E to go over with the Tournament Director before the event. Confirm Awards Check with the Tournament Director to decide if any optional awards will be given at the event. The Promote Award and Compass Award are optional and must be reviewed before the event. These submissions are usually reviewed by volunteers other than the event day judges. FIRST Tech Challenge Award Eligibility and Advancement Criteria To ensure fairness to all teams and to provide equal opportunity for all teams to win an award at a FIRST Tech Challenge Championship tournament, teams are only eligible to win an award at the first three Championship tournaments that they attend. Those teams who compete in more than three Qualifying Tournaments, League Championships, and Championship Tournaments do so to being involved in the fun and excitement of the tournament and not with the intent of winning awards or advancing to the next tournament level. Each team is responsible for telling tournament organizers and Judges if they are ineligible for awards or advancement based on the policies below. Eligibility Teams must be registered and in good standing with FIRST before they are eligible to compete in Official FIRST Tech Challenge tournaments. The Tournament Director will confirm the eligibility of the teams. Eligibility for Judged Awards Teams are eligible to be considered for all Judged Awards (except the Inspire Award, please see Inspire section for details) at any of the first three events they participate in at each of the following levels. Teams may compete at each level in any region that will accept them. Affiliate Partners have the authority to decide if their event is open to teams from other regions or is only for teams within their region. • League Tournament • Qualifying Tournament • Super Qualifying Tournament • Championship Tournament Inspire Award Eligibility Teams that have won the Inspire Award at another event of the same level, regardless of the region, cannot be considered for the Inspire Award or as an Inspire Award Finalist at additional events at that level. All teams are eligible to be considered for all Judged Awards at the following events: • World Championship Tournament Eligibility for Advancement Teams are eligible for advancement at any one of the first three events they participate in at any of the following levels, regardless of the region. This applies to both teams in North America, and teams outside of North America: • League Tournament • Qualifying Tournament • Super Qualifying Tournament • Championship Tournament Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 | 17 • Teams may advance to only the first World Championship Event they have been invited to. Event Type Advances To Special Considerations A team is eligible to advance to the next Qualifying Tournament competition tier from one of the first three Qualifying, League, or Super-Qualifying Tournaments they attend. State or Regional League Tournament Championship Tournament A team may participate in more than three events in the same competition tier, but they Super-Qualifying are not eligible for consideration for Tournament advancement or awards at events beyond their third. A team is eligible to advance to the next competition tier from one the first three Championship Tournaments they attend. FIRST Tech State or Regional Challenge World Championship A team may only advance to the first World Championship Championship Tournament they qualified for. Order of Advancement If the team listed has already advanced or there is no team fitting that description (as in 2nd team selected at smaller events), the advancement will continue in order. 1. Optional – Qualifier Host team (NOTE: Each region’s Affiliate Partner decides if this advancement opportunity will be offered, and if so, when the host team must be identified. The team MUST compete at one other tournament within the region and must meet the criteria set forth by the Affiliate Partner in the agreement. This advancement applies to Qualifying Tournament hosts only, and does NOT apply to host teams of Meets, League Championships or Championship Tournaments). 2. Inspire Award Winner 3. Winning Alliance Captain 4. Inspire Award 2nd place 5. Winning Alliance, 1st team selected 6. Inspire Award 3rd place 7. Winning Alliance, 2nd team selected 8. Think Award Winner 9. Finalist Alliance Captain 10. Connect Award Winner 11. Finalist Alliance, 1st team selected 12. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award Winner Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
18 | 2018- 2019 FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 13. Finalist Alliance, 2nd team selected 14. Design Award Winner 15. Motivate Award Winner 16. Control Award Winner 17. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 18. Think Award 2nd Place 19. Highest Ranked team *not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 20. Connect Award 2nd Place 21. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 22. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award 2nd Place 23. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 24. Design Award 2nd Place 25. Highest Ranked team * not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 26. Motivate Award Winner 2nd Place 27. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 28. Control Award Winner 2nd Place 29. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 30. Think Award 3rd Place 31. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 32. Connect Award 3rd Place 33. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 34. Rockwell Collins Innovate Award 3rd Place 35. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 36. Design Award 3rd Place 37. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 38. Motivate Award 3rd Place 39. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 40. Control Award 3rd Place 41. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 42. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 43. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 44. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 45. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 46. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 47. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 48. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 49. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 50. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. 51. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Winning Division. 52. Highest Ranked team* not previously advanced, from the Finalist Division. *Refers to Qualification Match Ranking. These advancements are in order. There is no normalizing of rank between divisions. Revision 1.3: 03/12/2019
FIRST® Tech Challenge Judge and Judge Advisor Manual 2018-2019 | 19 Event Day Schedule Knowing the event day schedule ahead of time is helpful to the Judge Advisor for many reasons. The Judge Advisor not only needs to make sure the interviews are staying on time, but also when decisions need to be made on award winners. The Judges must write scripts for the winning teams, and for most events the scripts must be delivered to the Tournament Director at least an hour before the end of the competition. Knowing the event day schedule will help prepare the Judge Advisor, and make sure the Judges keep on schedule throughout the day. Below is a typical event day schedule for a 12-team event. Larger events will need to adjust their times. Time Activity 6:00 am • Staff, Judges, Referees and all other volunteers arrive • Provide breakfast for volunteers • Distribute T-Shirts, name badges, etc. • Referees and Judges meet and receive briefings on their specific responsibilities • Referees and Judges receive assignments and job specific tools • Place signs to direct traffic outside and inside the Venue 6:15 am • Sign out radios • Place Crowd Control volunteers at entrances • DJ arrives, sets up, and does sound check • Check: o Video o Sound o Scoring Display o Computers 6:45 am • Registration Desk, Inspection, and Pit Admin Volunteers in place • Ensure EMT/Nurse is on duty 7:00 am • Registration begins, Pit opens (have a plan in place for addressing the certain early arrivals) • Robot Inspection begins • Practice matches begin 7:30 am • Scheduled Judging sessions begin (3 Judging panels, 30 minutes between appts) 8:45 am • Run match schedule and give out to teams when Inspections are nearly complete. • Key Volunteer Meeting to go over timing strategies 10:00 am • Driver’s meeting with Head Referee • Queue teams for first matches. • Assemble opening ceremonies participants (speakers, Judges, Referees, VIPs) 10:15 am • Opening Ceremony o Welcome remarks and guest speakers o Brief description of FIRST and FIRST Tech Challenge, Game Challenge, and Judging Procedures o Show Game Animation/Video o Introduce Judges and Referees o National Anthem(s) *ask a local high school if they have a student available to sing the Anthem(s) Gracious Professionalism® - “Doing your best work while treating others with respect and kindness - It’s what makes FIRST, first.”
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