How to Write a Task for the MARVEL Syllabus

Before we dive into the process of writing a task for the syllabus on the MARVEL website it's essential to familiarise ourselves with the available features and formatting options. For a comprehensive guide covering all the features available on the MARVEL website, please refer to this article.

We encourage you to make full use of these features while crafting your tasks.

Introduction

At MARVEL's Student program, our aim is to cultivate strong self-learners who can explore and understand any given topic. To achieve this goal, tasks proposed for inclusion in the syllabus should be specific, customised, hands-on, and have well-defined outcomes. Here's a breakdown of key points to consider when proposing a task:

Key Points:

• Specificity and Customization: Tasks should be tailored to address specific learning objectives and encourage critical thinking. Avoid generic tasks that promote rote learning. To help with this, ensure the tasks are specific and custom where resources articles and the internet act as a guide to the final answer but don't give away the final answer immediately.

• Hands-On Experience: Ensure tasks provide students with practical experience and opportunities for experimentation. Even theoretical ones.

• Well-Defined Outcomes: Clearly articulate the expected outcomes or learning objectives associated with the task.

How to Propose a Task for Inclusion in the Syllabus

After selecting a domain and syllabus level, follow these steps to propose a task for inclusion:

1. Task Title

Choose a descriptive and engaging title that conveys the purpose of the task and aligns with MARVEL's research focus.

• Title (IoT - Level 2): Building a Smart Home Automation System Using Raspberry Pi

2. Specific and Customised Task Description

Provide a detailed description of the task, outlining its objectives, requirements, and anticipated outcomes. This is where you'll be walking the learner through what the task is and how they're expected to approach it. A good task is a task that encourages them to think. Needless to say, the solution to the task shouldn't be a readymade article on google.

3. Resource Links

Include links to relevant resources that students can refer to for completing the task effectively. The resource links have to be a learning aid and not the solution to the task.

• Resource Links (Design and Prototyping - Level 1): Instructables - DIY Prototyping Projects

4. Expected Task Outcomes

Clearly articulate the expected outcomes or learning objectives associated with the task.

• Expected Task Outcomes (Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy - Level 2):
  • Understand the principles of electric vehicle propulsion systems.
  • Design and simulate a basic electric vehicle drivetrain.
  • Analyze the performance and efficiency of the simulated drivetrain.

5. Precautions/Safety Measures/Process for Completing Task

Outline any necessary precautions, safety measures, or procedural guidelines to ensure students conduct the task safely and responsibly.

• Precautions/Safety Measures/Process (AI/ML - Level 1):
  • Ensure proper handling of computational resources to avoid overloading systems.
  • Encourage collaborative debugging and troubleshooting to address implementation challenges.

6. Equipment/Software Requirements

Specify any specialised equipment or software required to complete the task so that we can procure them.

• Equipment/Software Requirements (IoT - Level 2):
  • Raspberry Pi board with peripherals (e.g., sensors, actuators).
  • Python programming environment and libraries for IoT development.

7. Try Out the Task Yourself

Put yourself in the students' shoes and try out the task before proposing it for inclusion in the syllabus.Ensure that the students have the necessary prerequisite knowledge for attempting your task. If not, add a few tasks/resource articles to bring them upto speed.

• Try Out the Task Yourself (Cloud Computing - Level 3): Gain firsthand experience with AWS services and serverless architecture to refine instructions and anticipate challenges.

8. Cost and Sustainability Plan

Consider the long-term sustainability of the task and outline any associated costs or sustainability measures. In simple words, think about how students 10 years down the line would be able to work on the tasks you've given. How will they have access to the equipments/resources? Are there any consumables in the tasks you have proposed? How will they be replenished.

• Cost and Sustainability Plan (Design and Prototyping - Level 1):
  • Explore cost-effective prototyping materials and techniques.
  • Establish partnerships with industry sponsors for funding and resource sharing.

By following these guidelines and proposing tasks that are specific, hands-on, and well-defined, student coordinators can contribute to the development of strong self-learners at MARVEL. Excelsior!