Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
Inspiring students, one robot at a time.

763: Design Notebook Link


Christie Schmitt (Event Partner)
17-Mar-2021

I am a state event partner and this question just came up from a team. We wanted to know how Worlds would address this question.

"If our team has a multi-part engineering notebook (one part for code, one part for design), are we allowed to submit the full notebook as a link to a google drive folder with multiple documents inside? There are multiple GA teams who are in this same situation, so it would be convenient if we were allowed to submit our work in this manner."

The judges info – Page 3-4 says it has to be submitted as a link. Is a link to a Google Drive with multiple files considered a link?

Answered by Competition Judging Committee

I am a state event partner and this question just came up from a team. We wanted to know how Worlds would address this question.

"If our team has a multi-part engineering notebook (one part for code, one part for design), are we allowed to submit the full notebook as a link to a google drive folder with multiple documents inside? There are multiple GA teams who are in this same situation, so it would be convenient if we were allowed to submit our work in this manner."

The judges info – Page 3-4 says it has to be submitted as a link. Is a link to a Google Drive with multiple files considered a link?

The Digital Engineering Notebook (DEN) link may only be submitted once and cannot be changed or resubmitted. The DEN link must also be submitted within the deadlines provided in the qualification/invitation emails, the Remote VEX Worlds judging documents, and the Remote Judging tab on the Remote VEX Worlds event websites.

The DEN link may point to a folder or other "container" such as a OneNote dashboard. However, the "common sense" aspect of judging should always be considered. Ease of use is considered by judges reviewing bound notebooks, and likewise will be considered by judges reviewing DEN's.

For example, if the DEN is one hundred pages and each page is a single PDF inside a linked folder, the DEN judge would need to click one hundred links for one hundred individual PDF files to review the entire notebook. Navigating, reviewing, and scoring a submission in this form may be considered difficult and impractical. If judging were in-person and a team submitted their one hundred page Engineering Notebook as one hundred bound notebooks with one entry on one page of each notebook, then navigating, reviewing, and scoring a submission in this form may also be considered difficult and impractical.

A DEN link to a single PDF document may be considered easy to navigate. A DEN link to a single folder or container with links to only a few PDF's or documents that are clearly named may be considered easy to navigate. The most important things to keep in mind are:

  • Common sense always applies to judging and the judging process.
  • The DEN link (and any associated links if the link points to a folder or container) must be accessible without a password or permission request.
  • The DEN should be easy for DEN judges to use and navigate, just as bound notebooks should be easy for judges to use and navigate.