Guide to Judging Part 6: Competition Logbook Content and Design

Purpose & Academic Honesty

The Competition Logbook serves as a useful tool for the team in the current season, a reference for future teams who may use past logbooks as a resource for solving future challenges, and as a document that illustrates the team’s journey throughout the season. A well-executed Competition Logbook is useful and readable by students, coaches, and outside observers such as Judges. Teams should choose a logbook format and system to organize content that best suits their circumstances. The Competition Logbook is not intended to exist primarily as a “presentation piece” for judges.

The Competition Logbook, as well as the processes students follow to create it, should be in alignment with the REC Foundation’s Student-Centered Policy and Code of Conduct. Templates for logbook entries can be a useful tool to help guide (particularly younger) students as they document their process. However, the end goal should be for students to independently organize and create logbook content. It is never acceptable for adults to contribute materially to the students’ logbook. Adult involvement including adding content, excessive guidance or direction, or any type of revision “cleaning up” documentation (as an example, an adult rewriting a logbook entry for a student with difficult to read handwriting), or organizing logbook content, is not in alignment with the REC Foundation Student-Centered Policy and may result in a team not being eligible to receive a Judged Award. A significant part of the educational value of the Competition Logbook is for students to have an opportunity to practice written communication skills, which includes collaboration between students on the team, organizing and synthesizing ideas, and summarizing activities and actions.

It is required that teams abide by the principles of academic honesty in their Competition Logbook, which includes citing and crediting materials and ideas that are not their own. If students find information that is helpful from any outside source, be it a website, book, video, or another individual/team, they should properly credit the source of that information and explain how they are using that information. They should not attempt to claim outside information as their own original work. Misrepresentation of student work is considered a violation of the REC Foundation Code of Conduct as well as the Competition Logbook rubric.

Teams from the same school/organization that submit a Competition Logbook should ensure unique content to differentiate themselves from the other teams. When these teams use common content, it makes it extremely difficult for the content to be verified as being representative of the students on each individual team, and may be interpreted as a misrepresentation of student work. Similarly, student programmers who make use of code libraries should cite their sources, explain what they changed and what they utilized, and ensure that they understand the programming they are using. Students should avoid using programs or code that are beyond their ability to create and explain independently.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs or tools to generate or organize Competition Logbook content or programming code is also contrary to the REC Foundation Student-Centered Policy and Code of Conduct. What AI tools can produce from prompts or from building on existing materials does not genuinely represent the skill level of the team utilizing these tools. REC Foundation programs offer opportunities to learn a variety of technical, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Not all students will have the same levels of competence in these skills, but all students will benefit from the practice and application of those skills as a part of the engineering design process, of which the Competition Logbook is a significant part. The misuse of AI tools, similar to non-student-centered adult involvement, takes opportunities away from students to gain experience at practicing core communication, organization, independent inquiry, and decision-making skills.

If judges become aware of academic dishonesty in a team’s notebook, or of violations of the Student-Centered or Code of Conduct policies, those concerns should be escalated to the Judge Advisor. This may result in the removal of the offending team from Judged Awards at that event, and potentially further actions in accordance with the REC Foundation Code of Conduct process.

Competition Logbook Formatting

REC Foundation competitions help students develop life skills that they will use in their academic and professional future. By documenting in the Competition Logbook, students practice project management, time management, brainstorming, as well as effective interpersonal and written communication skills.

Teams may use a physical notebook or use any one of various computer applications or cloud-based services available for digitally creating and maintaining a Competition Logbook. Regardless of the format, all logbooks are evaluated by the Judges according to the same award criteria and rubric.

Note: Some events will accept only physical logbooks and some will accept only digital logbooks. In those cases, physical logbooks can be scanned and submitted electronically or digital logbooks can be printed.

If the Competition Logbook is written in a language that is not common for the region, it is the team’s responsibility to provide the original language version along with a translated copy, in case Judges fluent in the original language are not available. This should be brought to the EP’s attention as early as possible so they can inform the Judge Advisor.

The Logbook should always include the following:

• Team number on the cover/beginning of document.
• A table of contents with entries organized for future reference.
• Each page/entry is chronologically numbered and dated showing the evolution of the team over the season beginning with the first team meeting.
• Notebook has evidence that documentation was done in sequence.
• Each page/entry contains information noting the student author(s).
• All pages/entries intact; no pages/entries or parts of pages/entries removed or omitted; errors can be crossed out using a single line (so they can be seen) rather than erased or removed.
• Physical Logbooks that have inserts include those permanently affixed with tape or glue (may include CAD drawings, examples of code, etc.).

Competition Logbook Details

General Content

• Written Communication Skills

  • Includes clear, complete and organized records with evidence of the team's work for each Mission over the course of the season. This can take the form of dated entries with the names of contributing students and an overall system of organization. For example, numbered pages and a table of contents with entries organized for future reference.
  • Includes Team meeting notes, pre/post flight records, maintenance, additional research (coding, careers, applications of drone /sensor technology).
  • Provides descriptions, sketches, and pictures of concepts and processes.
  • Includes project management practices including their use of personnel, finances, and time.
    Includes notes and observations from practice runs and competitions.
  • Includes clear evidence of the iterative process.

Specific Content

• Team Information and Leadership

  • Provides a complete and organized team roles and project and time management techniques.
  • Examples of this may include:
    • Team Name/Number, member introductions, and photos.
    • Mission statement and/or goals.
    • Team member roles, responsibilities, and leadership roles.
    • Communication methods, both on and off the field.
    • Reflections on team dynamics, challenges, and/or problems, and solutions.
    • Team meeting notes, such as:
      • Timeline, projects and time management techniques.
      • Decision making processes.
      • Individual flight and programming accomplishments.

• Safety Plan and Training Records

  • Includes documentation of the team’s knowledge of drone maintenance, safety and training courses and local drone regulations.
  • Examples of this may include:
    • Pre and Post Flight Checklists.
    • Flight Log
    • Completion of FAA Recreational UAS Safety Test (US Teams Only)
    • Completion of Robolink’s Getting Started Course

• Drone Data and Analysis

  • Includes documentation of the team’s data about their drone and controller performance, based on testing and analysis.
  • Examples of this may include:
    
    • Battery Life.
    • Flight Time Performance.
    • Additional Drone/Controller Data

• Teamwork Mission: Analysis and Strategies

  • Includes documentation of the team’s knowledge and understanding of the Teamwork Mission.
  • Examples of this may include:
    
    • Analysis of Teamwork Mission Rules & Scoring.
    • Analysis of Competition Results.
    • Documentation of Brainstorming, Testing and Sharing Results of strategies developed.
    • Documentation of Multiple Iterations as the team progresses.

• Autonomous Flight Mission: Programming Documentation and Strategies

  • • Includes documentation of the team’s knowledge and understanding of the Autonomous Flight Mission.
    • Examples of this may include:
      • Analysis of Mission Rules & Scoring.
      • Analysis of Practice and Competition Results Documentation of Programming Code and version history, including annotations.
      • Descriptions of programming concepts, programming improvements, or significant programming modifications.
      • Documentation of Brainstorming, Testing and Sharing Results of programs developed.
      • Documentation of Multiple Iterations as the season progresses.

• Piloting Skills Mission: Flight Analysis and Strategies

  • Includes documentation of the team’s knowledge and understanding of the Piloting Skills Mission.
  • Examples of this may include:
    • Analysis of Piloting Skills Mission Rules & Scoring.
    • Analysis of Practice and Competition Results.
    • Documentation of Brainstorming, Testing and Sharing Results of strategies developed.
    • Documentation of Multiple Iterations as the season progresses.

• Drone and Aviation Career and Industry Practices

  • Clearly identifies, including specific examples, discovery, and documentation of the team’s knowledge and understanding of drone and aviation career opportunities.
  • Examples of this may include:
    • Researching how drones are used in multiple professions.
    • Interviewing a professional in the drone industry and documenting the interaction.
    • Researching and reporting on current trends in aviation and drone technology.

Continue to the next section, Guide to Judging Part 7: Competition Logbook Judging