Learning in Open-Ended Challenges with VEX EXP

In STEM Lab Units like the Clean Water Mission, students enter the realm of open-ended challenges. These challenges invite students to dive into the concepts they have mastered, using their knowledge in a dynamic, exploratory way. After completing many introductory STEM Labs like Treasure Hunt and Castle Crasher, students have built a solid foundation. They have been learning about the functionality of EXP, mastering the technical components, and coding in VEXcode with concepts like sequencing and variables. As students approach their first open-ended challenge, they are equipped with the tools and understanding needed to tackle it. Now, with all that knowledge at their disposal and the ability to seek out additional information, students are ready to move beyond the detailed guidance provided in previous Units.

Open-ended challenges are exactly what they sound like: open. Students are presented with a real-world problem and a framework for approaching it, but the paths they choose will be as diverse as their own thinking. This variety of approaches and solutions is where the real magic happens. Learning and discovery in these Units are deeply tied to the activity itself, influenced by the context and culture of the classroom.¹ As students transition to these challenges, they begin the journey of preparing for future learning and by extension their potential future careers.²

Learning in an Open-Ended Challenge

The three-phase process students follow in an open-ended challenge is designed to fuel their learning. These challenges are meant to push students into productive struggle—a space where they can develop critical habits like perseverance, flexible thinking, and active learning. This struggle can be tough, sometimes leading to frustration as students iterate through the process. It may be tempting to step in and offer solutions, but true success in facilitating these challenges lies in guiding students with questions that help them navigate their frustrations on their own – not in you providing a solution.

Promoting Productive Struggle

The classroom environment, including the relationship between teacher and student, plays a crucial role in supporting students through productive struggle.³ These struggles encourage students to confront and stretch their existing knowledge and skills, as well as their ability to communicate doubts and frustrations.⁴ As they learn about the AI Vision Sensor, VEX EXP components, real-world STEM, coding, and even their own social-emotional skills, your role as the teacher is to stand beside them. By observing, checking in, and asking insightful questions, you can ensure that students feel supported and heard throughout the process.⁵

Learning Through Discovery

Students learn through discovery by actively engaging with the material and concepts in a way that encourages exploration and inquiry, as is presented in these open-ended challenges. This approach to learning allows students to take ownership of their educational journey, as they are not merely recipients of information but active participants in the learning process. When students are given the freedom to explore, ask questions, and test hypotheses, they develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This type of learning fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as students are encouraged to think creatively and draw connections between concepts that they might not encounter through traditional instruction. Those crossovers and connections are happening within each of the phases, but are most pronounced when students begin their transition from one phase to another. 

The three-phases presented to help organize students in the Open-Ended Challenge Units helps to provide both a framework for completing the challenge as well as a framework to encourage students to think about their thinking. During each phase, students will focus on a particular aspect of the problem-solving process, and are instructed to check-in with you for approval before moving on. Note that this is not meant to be a purely linear process. Students will inevitably move back and forth between phases throughout the course of the challenge as they discover new questions or aim to refine their plans.

The structure of these phases compels students to constantly think about what they know, what they do not know, and what they need to learn to accomplish the goal of the challenge.

Between Phase 1 and 2, students must determine how to move forward from their ideation into a concrete plan with pseudocode. A successful transition from idea to pseudocode requires a thorough, conceptual knowledge of the challenge and the behaviors associated with executing the plan. This is a hard thing to do. These transitions are what create the productive struggle and the opportunity for questions and investigation. For example, if students are unsure what behaviors are involved with using data from the AI Vision Sensor or what data is provided by the sensor, then students can use the resources previously learned about to determine those behaviors and data.

Between Phase 2 and 3, students must take their conceptual understanding of the pseudocode and transition those behaviors into code. This transition has multiple elements for students to work through. The first element is the direct correlation in their pseudocode between behaviors like seeing if a red Buckyball is in the view of the sensor and using the Take a Snapshot block. The second is the sequence of those behaviors. Students should have a starting idea of sequence, but that will change as they begin to test and iterate on their VEXcode projects. Students are grappling both with the tactical knowledge of creating a VEXcode project and the conceptual elements of how to turn pseudocode into the logic elements like conditional statements. Again, students will inevitably struggle through this process. They need to rely on their group, the resources they have access to, and their own creativity to work through these frustrating moments.

As previously mentioned, these phases are iterative in nature and will be repeated many times. Remember that students may become frustrated with these transitions or with the constant iteration between phases – that is okay! Productive struggle and learning through discovery can be uncomfortable, but you are there to support your students through the journey. If you would like to talk more about productive struggle and Open-Ended Challenge Units, please share your questions in the PD+ Community or schedule a 1-on-1 Session.

For additional information about open-ended challenges and facilitating them, view the facilitation guides for each of the Open-Ended Challenge Units. Facilitation guides can be found in the Teacher Portal for each STEM Lab Unit.