Welcome to the adventure of coaching an RECF drone or robotics team. Whether you are brand new to STEM coaching or you have been teaching drones or robotics in your classroom for years, we know there is always room for growth and we have many resources available to help you do that. This article will give you an overview of our resources and help you as you navigate how to best use them. Some of these resources are specifically for coaches, but others are also great for your students and parents to read.
If you don’t find what you need here, please reach out to your RECF Regional Support Manager (RSM) and they will be able to guide you to the information you need.
RSM Support
Your best friend when coaching a team is your RECF RSM. They will always be able to help you locate resources and provide answers, and it’s likely that your RSM will point you towards one of the resources already available to get those answers.
RECF.org & RECFevents.org
RECF.org includes information on the RECF, describes things like our mission & vision, and provides links to media and grant information. RECFevents.org is where you will register and manage your teams for the season, and is where you can search and register for events.
RECF Library
Most of the information you need to run a team can be found in the RECF Library. The library is organized according to the competition programs hosted by the RECF, but also includes Event Partner and Volunteer information. After selecting your program, you will see additional sections of content. The best way to find something is to use the search bar and put in a keyword. Many of the resources available can be found in multiple program sections.
Training Webinars
The RECF training webinars are monthly opportunities to dig a little deeper on specific topics that are relevant to the competition season. These webinars are hosted on Zoom and are usually an hour long; each webinar includes a presentation followed by a quick Q&A section where presenters answer submitted questions. Coach webinars are followed by an hour-long Coach Academy open office meeting that week or the following week with an opportunity to dig a little deeper into that specific topic. You can find the schedule and topics for the webinars by following the link above.
Coach Academy
The RECF Coach Academy is a new addition to the resources we have available for our coaches. In addition to open hours to follow up on the webinars, the online Coach Academy is a free, web-based, asynchronous set of courses. The RECF Coach Academy utilizes the Moodle platform at training.recf.org to help coaches stay up to date with the latest RECF policies, procedures, and resources.
RECF Certifications & Training Courses
RECF certifications and training courses are located at training.recf.org. Even if you will not hold the position of head referee or judge advisor at an event, these courses and certifications are a great way to learn what goes into judging, refereeing, and event hosting.
- Judge Advisor
- Judge
- Head Referee
- Event Partner Certification
- Student Training Courses
Online Challenges
The annual RECF Online Challenges are an additional way for your team to be involved during the year with opportunities to win prizes ranging from gift certificates all the way to RECF STEM World Championship qualifications.
Elevating Your Program
Find additional ways to elevate your program by exploring the resources below.
Parent Boot Camps
A new and helpful resource for you is a preplanned Parent Boot Camp. Introduce your parents to their kids’ world of drones or robotics and what the expectations are of them as parents.
RECF Discord
If you're a student, teacher, coach, or anyone interested in RECF programs, you're invited to follow the official RECF Discord server! It is a great place to stay informed with all of the latest updates. To join, simply click this link: https://discord.gg/VYFsbhzF.