CMSD Robotics Innovation Capstone

How can we increase engagement in CMSD's robotics programs?

About the Project

Students in grades 9–12 at MC²STEM High School will collaborate to improve participation, engagement, and outcomes across all of CMSD’s robotics programs. Capstone teams will identify real challenges in robotics education—from mentor recruitment to technical training—and propose innovative solutions.

Possible Focus Areas Include:
  • Improving how new mentors are trained
  • Developing better methods for teaching core robotics skills
  • Designing outreach strategies to engage students and sponsors
  • Engineering more efficient robot-building processes

About the Partnership

Cleveland State University supports CMSD robotics by:

  • Providing mentor and student training opportunities
  • Coordinating regional and corporate sponsorships
  • Encouraging innovative student-led STEM experiences

Project Deliverables

Phase 1: Hands-On Immersion & Research

Objectives: Students will build experience by participating directly in FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) robotics, and begin early-stage research.

  • Build: Construct a working FTC robot from a previous game
  • Mentorship: Support and mentor a current middle school FTC team
  • Interviews: Interview students, mentors, sponsors, and community leaders
  • RI30H Challenge: Lead a “Robot in 30 Hours” sprint to build a competitive prototype for the current FTC game

Phase 2: Solution Design & Testing

Objectives: Students will design, build, and test innovations that support and scale the robotics ecosystem across CMSD.

  • Content Development: Create training materials (videos, lesson plans, toolkits) and run pilot workshops or sessions
  • Engineering Innovation: Test and improve building, programming, or driving techniques
  • Promotion & Engagement: Design marketing strategies and materials to connect with sponsors or students and analyze results