The Robotics and Automation Outreach Program (RAOP) is developing a user-friendly, adaptable curriculum that connects research experiences in STEM settings with school teaching. The 2026 pilot and educator guide establish its foundation: practical investigations of sensors, actuators, software and hardware interfaces, data, and system behavior.
Guided inquiry-based learning connects a focused question, a prediction, an investigation, and an explanation supported by evidence. Educators adapt selected ideas for high school teaching, with scope for adjustment within grades 6–12, including courses, curriculum units, after-school activities, and clubs.
Five Instructional Modules
The educator guide organizes the curriculum into the modules below. School integration begins during technical work and continues after training. The fifth module brings program evidence and educator experience into the project team’s annual curriculum review.
Identify the source and meaning of a measurement, distinguish it from a command, and explain how the main components interact.
Evidence or planning record
A labeled component or signal diagram and a brief explanation of the quantity being observed.
Module 2
Virtual Laboratory Experience
Prepared MATLAB/Simulink models and QLabs digital twins for the assigned platform.
Intended outcome
Make a prediction, run an approved comparison, record the output, and explain the observation using evidence.
Evidence or planning record
Model views, labeled plots or images, test conditions, and an individual explanation for the T2 checkpoint.
Module 3
Supervised Hardware Experience
Physical components, connections, measurements, and comparisons across the four core platforms.
Intended outcome
Operate the assigned model with appropriate support, interpret measurements, and compare physical and virtual behavior under identified conditions.
Evidence or planning record
Platform records and explanations reviewed through the T3 evidence checklist and competency rubric.
Module 4
School Integration
A selected concept, student learning objective, feasible activity format, and check of understanding.
Intended outcome
Develop a teaching idea into a plan suited to a course, curriculum unit, after-school activity, or club.
Evidence or planning record
An activity plan identifying the setting, resources, student task, expected work, and assessment approach; reflection through T4 and T5.
Module 5
Annual Curriculum Development
Program assessment, educator implementation experience, and advisory feedback.
Intended outcome
Use the evidence to revise instructions, expand examples, and examine suitability for different teaching settings in subsequent cycles.
Evidence or planning record
Documented revisions informed by T1–T6, school implementation follow-up, and review of later activities.
Guided Inquiry Across the Curriculum
The facilitator provides a manageable question, tested resources, and operating boundaries. Educators reason from their observations, compare evidence, and explain what the investigation supports. Short prompts and checkpoints help participants with different levels of technical experience engage with the same learning question.
Ask and predict. Identify the concept, the question, and the observation that would help answer it.
Investigate and record. Compare approved conditions, keep other relevant conditions comparable, and label measurements and units.
Explain and qualify. Connect the result to the question and identify limits in the evidence or differences in test conditions.
Adapt and reflect. Select a student task and a check of understanding, then use teaching experience to refine the activity.
The 2026 Learning Sequence
Preparation and readiness checks preceded the three-week experience. Eight educators worked in four pairs on assigned platforms during the virtual phase and rotated through all four platforms on site.
Week 1 · July 6–10
Virtual Foundations and Introductory Work
The first virtual week introduced the inquiry approach and the assigned platform’s introductory activity. Educators practiced using models, identifying signals, and recording observations.
Week 2 · July 13–17
Guided Advanced Work and Interpretation
The second virtual week developed the assigned advanced activity, interpretation of evidence, and an initial school integration idea. T2 brought together the introductory and advanced activity records.
Week 3 · July 20–24
Hardware Investigation and Reflection
On-site rotations covered all four core platforms through supervised introductory and advanced activities. T3 documented hardware evidence and competency; T4 and T5 supported feedback and reflection on teaching uses.
The required 2026 virtual workload included one introductory activity and one advanced activity on the assigned platform. Advanced activities used prepared models and guided observation; mathematical derivations and additional technical study remain extension topics.
Program Structure provides the delivery sequence and assessment checkpoints.
Four Platform Strands
These learning targets provide accessible starting points for curriculum development. Each platform supports a different physical context while retaining the shared emphasis on components, commands, measurements, and explanations supported by evidence.
Qube-Servo 3
Motor Motion, Measurement, and Feedback
Foundational Learning Targets
Identify the DC motor, encoder, inertia disk, and interface; distinguish actuation from sensing.
Read and interpret a rotation record using the model’s units, scale, and starting reference.
Intended evidence
A labeled signal path, angle-versus-time plot, and explanation of the observed motion.
Possible school connection
Angle measurement, fractions of a revolution, and graph interpretation using recorded encoder data.
Further Technical Study
Filtering, pendulum behavior, step and frequency responses, parameter estimation, stability, and proportional/PD control.
A Qube-Servo 3 disk activity can examine one motor input and one measured angle, an example of a single-input, single-output (SISO) investigation. In a two-axis helicopter configuration, Aero 2 can relate two motor inputs to pitch and yaw measurements, introducing multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) behavior. The selected signals and configuration determine the comparison.
The mounted 3 DOF Hover provides a further laboratory example of coupled rotational motion. The QDrone 2 demonstration introduces aerial robotics and localization beyond the four core platform strands. See Activities for their roles in the learning experience.
Adapt the Format to the School Setting
Select the format that serves the learning objective and fits the available resources. Each option below can support predictions, evidence collection or interpretation, and discussion. Adjust the prompts, data complexity, and expected explanation to the learners’ prior knowledge.
Recorded Data and Images
Use supplied plots, measurements, photographs, or a short video. Students predict, label, compare, and explain without operating the research platform.
Planning check: Identify the source, units, test conditions, and question that the available evidence can answer.
Educator-Led Demonstration
Build a lesson around a prepared demonstration with pauses for predictions, observation, and discussion.
Planning check: Prepare the viewing arrangement, questions, evidence to collect, and any equipment supervision required.
Digital-Twin Investigation
Use an assigned virtual model so students can compare approved conditions and collect their own records.
Planning check: Confirm devices, software versions, license permissions, files, and technical support before use.
Supervised Hardware Investigation
Use physical equipment where the school or partner setting provides suitable resources and supervision.
Planning check: Confirm the configuration, tested model, operating limits, workspace, and stop procedure.
A Suggested School Activity Package
A lesson outline with the setting, learning objective, prior knowledge, and estimated time.
Student instructions, prompts, and the data or materials needed for the task.
A check of understanding and criteria for evaluating the expected student work.
An implementation plan covering resources, supervision, adaptations, and a record of use.
The 2026 pilot establishes the starting curriculum. Across the project’s five annual cycles, the team will expand examples, examine their suitability in different teaching contexts, evaluate classroom use, and refine activities and assessment guidance.
Readiness and Technical Learning — T1–T3
Identify preparation needs, examine virtual activity evidence, and review hardware work to improve the technical learning sequence.
Educator Experience — T4–T5
Use participant feedback and discussion to identify useful activities, barriers, proposed teaching uses, and support needs.
Advisory Review — T6
Consider advisory recommendations alongside program evidence when setting priorities for subsequent cycles.
School Implementation Follow-Up
The planned October 2026 follow-up will distinguish activities already used, activities being prepared, and barriers to use, with available lesson and student-work evidence.
An activity idea, a developed plan, and an implemented lesson represent different stages of progress. Claims about student learning require appropriate evidence from student work. The Assessment and Evaluation section describes the program framework.
Curriculum Resources
Begin with the selected activity and its learning objective. Use the concept explanations and platform documentation at the level needed for that task.