Drones Guide to Judging Section 6: Competition Notebook Content and Design – RECF Library

Purpose & Academic Honesty

The competition notebook 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 a document that illustrates the team’s journey throughout the season. A well-executed competition notebook 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 notebook is not intended to exist primarily as a “presentation piece” for judges.

The competition notebook, as well as the processes students follow to create it, should be in alignment with the RECF Student-Centered Policy and Code of Conduct. Templates for notebook 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 notebook content. It is never acceptable for adults to contribute materially to the students’ notebook. Adult involvement including adding content, excessive guidance or direction, or any type of revision “cleaning up” documentation (as an example, an adult rewriting a notebook entry for a student with difficult to read handwriting), or organizing notebook content, is not in alignment with the RECF 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 notebook 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 notebook, 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 RECF Code of Conduct as well as the Cmpetition Notebook Rubric.

Teams from the same school/organization that submit a competition notebook should ensure that their content is unique and differentiates them from 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.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) / large language model (LLM) programs or tools to generate, organize, enhance, or alter competition notebook content or programming code is contrary to the RECF Student-Centered Policy and Code of Conduct. Content produced by AI/LLM tools from prompts or by building on existing materials does not genuinely represent the skill level of a team that utilizes these tools. RECF 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 part of the design process and creation of a competition notebook. The misuse of AI/LLM tools, similar to non-student-centered adult involvement, deprives students of opportunities to gain experience to practice and develop core communication, organization, independent inquiry, and decision-making skills.

Competition Notebook Format: Digital or Printed

RECF Competitions help students develop life skills that they will use in their academic and professional futures. By documenting their work in the competition notebook, students practice project management, time management, brainstorming, and effective interpersonal and written communication skills.

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

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

If the competition notebook 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 Event Partner's (EP) attention as early as possible so the EP can inform the Judge Advisor.

The notebook should always include the following:

The team number is included on the cover/beginning of document.
A table of contents is included, with entries organized for future reference.
Each page or entry is chronologically numbered and dated, showing the evolution of the team over the season beginning with the first team meeting.
The notebook has evidence that documentation was done in sequence.
Each page or entry contains information noting the student author(s).
All pages and entries are intact. No pages, entries, or parts of pages or entries have been removed or omitted. Errors may be crossed out using a single line so they remain visible rather than being erased or removed.
Physical notebooks that contain inserts have those inserts permanently affixed with tape or glue. Inserts may include CAD drawings, examples of code, and other supporting materials.

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