Tips for Creating An Award-Winning

Engineering Notebook

What is the purpose of an Engineering Notebook?

• Show the process that your team takes to create their robot

• Act as a storage unit for design ideas

• Help team members successfully communicate with each other and remember reasoning behind ideas

• Rep your team• Keep team on track

DECIDE YOUR MEDIUM FIRST

TIP #1:

Handwritten vs. ElectronicHandwritten• Shows originality and team work

• Harder to remove pages

• Easier to loose• Illegible handwriting

• No stubborn Word formatting

Electronic• Really difficult to loose

• No illegible handwriting

• Can’t tell who wrote what

• Easier to remove content

For Electronic Notebooks…

• No larger than 1.5” binder• Sheet protectors look professional

• All pages must be numbered and in order

• 2 people must sign each entry: the person who wrote the entry and a witness

For Handwritten Notebooks…

• Must be spiral bound, laboratory, or documentation notebook

• No loose leaf• Numbered pages are highly recommended (but not necessary)

• The person who wrote the entry must sign their name

According to FIRST…

“Teams may choose to record their season with either handwritten or electronic or online documents. No distinction is made between handwritten and electronic Engineering Notebooks during

judging.”

BE ORGANIZED FROM THE START

TIP #2:

Regardless of your medium, you should have…

• Title page (team name, number, game name, game year, the words “engineering notebook”, and maybe a picture of the team)

• Table of Contents that use the title of each page as reference

• Page numbers on every page• Titles on every page• The author of each page should sign and date their work

• Sticky Tabs (6-12)

GET PERSONAL

TIP #3:

The judges want to know who they are judging, so…

• Include individual bios of team members, coaches, and mentors with pictures– Name, grade or age, interests, reason for joining FTC or robotics team

• Outreach activities and community involvement

• Team activities• Show team spirit and personality• Sticky Tabs (6-12)

FORMAT ALWAYS

TIP #4:

Just like school papers, engineering notebooks have a specific format…

• Caption all visuals (nothing worse than unexplained, random content)

• Number pages• Table of contents• Leave no blank spaces

For Handwritten Notebooks…

• Blank space should be X-ed out neatly with a signature and date

• Visuals should be outlined in ink so if they fall out, it is known they should be there

• Use both sides of the page• Signature and date• Page numbers• Start a new page each meeting

For Electronic Notebooks…

• Somehow indicate who authored what content and when

• Use headings and styles for easy table of content population

• Leave no blank space• No crazy fonts and font sizes (recommended size 12, Times New Roman or Arial)

• Page numbers

USE VISUALS

TIP #5:

Some people are more visual

• Include:– Charts– Graphs– Data tables– Pictures– Drawings– CAD Models

• BUT adding content without explaining it is adding random content, use captions!

A few notes about visuals

• Electronic– There is a caption function in Word, right click on the picture and choose insert caption.

• Handwritten– Visuals should be outlined so if they fall out, it is known they are missing.

– Visuals should also be captioned.

SHOW YOUR PROCESS

TIP #6:

Include…

• A page in the front of the book with your team’s engineering process

• Follow this process throughout the book

• Great place for a visual!

Brainstorm

Identify Constraints and

Strategize

Design

Build

Test

Refine Build

SHOW TEAMWORK

TIP #7:

Teamwork can be shown in a number of ways…

• If everyone writes something in the notebook

• If pictures and visuals demonstrate teamwork

• If writing demonstrates teamwork

GET SCIENTIFIC

TIP #8:

The Notebook is About Engineering…

• Show design rationale• Use data, models, prototypes, etc.

• Basically, explain not only your design but also HOW and WHY you came up with your design

• Explain revisions in order to show design evolution

BE NEAT

TIP #9:

If you can’t read it, they can’t!

• Use neat handwriting• Draw a SINGLE line through mistakes, initial and date them

• Tape in pictures (it looks and feels better than glue)

• Use permanent ink (not pencil)• Treat your notebook with care (it shouldn’t look like the team dog chewed it up!)

KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS

TIP #10:

Requirement Reminders

• Bill of Materials (one in notebook and one at competition for inspection)

• Team name and number on title page and cover

• Pages in order• Sticky Tabs (6-12)• Team bios

Useful Resources

• Usfirst.org• All information regarding the Engineering Notebook is on pages 13-15 of the Game Manual Part 1

• Examples of scanned winning notebooks available at usfirst.org

• You can e-mail Mary or I with questions: conradm92@gmail.com mdoherty96@yahoo.com

Hope this helped!

Questions?