Engineering Portfolio Starter Pack

ASSESSMENT SUPPORT PAGE

Engineering Portfolio Starter Pack 📁

This page explains the Starter Pack, the front section of your individual Engineering Portfolio Folder.

The Starter Pack is where you set up the project, break down the design challenge, record your criteria, plan your rover, complete the required tests, and write your final evaluation.

✅ What it is

The Starter Pack is your structured project evidence. It shows how you understand the task, plan the rover, choose criteria, test the solution and evaluate the final design.

🚫 What it is not

It is not a spare booklet to leave blank until the end. It should be used during the project and kept in your manila folder with your engineering entry sheets.

How the Starter Pack fits into your folder

Your Engineering Portfolio Folder is individual, handwritten assessment evidence. Keep your Starter Pack first, then add your engineering entry sheets in order as they are completed and signed off.

1. Starter Pack first
This is the main scaffold for your project.

2. Entry sheets next
Add lesson-by-lesson entries in number order.

3. Keep everything together
Your folder is the final evidence used to mark your assignment.

What you complete in the Starter Pack

Starter Pack section	What you need to do
Cover and folder details	Record your name, class, partner name, teacher and final due date. This helps identify your individual portfolio.
Engineering entry tracker	Track your engineering entries across the assignment lessons. You need at least 8 completed entries unless sick or away with prior permission.
The engineering challenge	Record your first thoughts about the project goal and what the rover needs to do.
Group members and roles	List project responsibilities. The rover may be group work, but this portfolio is individual handwritten work.
Rover research and inspiration	Research at least two existing rover designs and explain how useful features could help your VEX rover.
Design brief breakdown	Break the challenge into smaller parts: what the rover must do, what will be difficult, what needs careful design, and what needs testing.
Prescribed criteria	Record the requirements every group must meet. These criteria come from the design brief and are not optional.
Self-determined criteria	Choose extra quality goals that help judge whether your rover is well designed, reliable and suitable for the challenge.
Initial design sketches	Sketch the rover from at least two views. Label the drivetrain, object mechanism, VEX brain, battery, motors, sensors, cables and protected components.
Initial design explanation	Explain how the rover is intended to move, interact with objects, protect components and meet the project requirements.
Required test pages	Complete the test pages for straight-line movement, turning, object interaction, reliability, durability and sensor/control.
Final design and evaluation	Show your final rover design, explain how it meets the requirements, and evaluate it using evidence from all required tests.
Individual reflection and checklist	Explain your contribution and check that your portfolio is complete before submission.

Prescribed criteria and self-determined criteria

Prescribed criteria

These are the requirements every group must meet. They come from the design brief and are not optional. Use them to guide your design, testing and final evaluation.

Self-determined criteria

These are extra quality goals chosen by your group. They should help you judge whether your rover is well designed, reliable and suitable for the challenge.

Examples of self-determined criteria: turning accuracy, object interaction success rate, stability, speed control, neat cable management, repairability, terrain handling, repeatability or ease of control.

Testing pages in the Starter Pack

Your Starter Pack contains pages for all required tests. These test pages are where you summarise the evidence that shows how well your rover performed.

Required test	What it checks
Straight-line movement	Does the rover move predictably?
Turning	Can the rover turn accurately enough for the task?
Object interaction	Can the rover collect, push, lift, carry and transport the target objects?
Reliability	Can the rover repeat the same task more than once?
Durability	Does the rover stay together after repeated use?
Sensor/control	Does the robot respond correctly to its control program and any sensors used in the final design?

⚠️ The Starter Pack is not the same as the lesson entries

The Starter Pack contains the scaffold and final evidence pages. The engineering entry sheets are separate pages handed out during assignment lessons.

Both parts belong in your Engineering Portfolio Folder.

What “complete” looks like

Your details and folder information are filled in.

Research, criteria and design pages are attempted carefully.

Required tests are completed and recorded.

Final design, evaluation and reflection are finished using evidence.

Before moving on

Check that you know which pages are part of the Starter Pack and which pages are lesson-by-lesson engineering entries. Keep both in your individual manila folder.