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Global Learning Solutions

Robotics, coding and electronics

Arkkibotics

For schools and camps that want students building, wiring and programming a working machine rather than watching one demonstrated.

90 min
Per session
8
Sessions per block
1:12
Facilitator to students
All kits
Supplied by GLS
Request a proposal
Students building and wiring a robot in an Arkkibotics session.

How students work

The build, test, fix loop

Mechanical assembly, 30 minutes

Build

Teams assemble or modify the machine: chassis, drive, mechanism. Every choice is theirs to defend, and every part goes on with their own hands.

Select a stage to see what happens in it.

Code and behaviour

Change one thing, run it again

Control program

loop:
  distance = read(distance_sensor)
  if distance < 20 cm:
    stop()
  else:
    drive(speed = 60)

What the robot does

The robot stops clear of the wall. This is the combination a team is aiming for: quick enough to score, cautious enough to survive the run.

Change one value at a time. That single rule is the whole method.

Equipment

Inside the kit

Chassis

The frame students assemble first. Getting it square and rigid is the difference between a machine that tracks straight and one that veers.

Session and term

How it is structured

One session

90 minutes, same shape every week

Inside a single session

  1. Brief and recap

    10 min

    The challenge for the session, plus what broke last week and why.

  2. Build

    30 min

    Mechanical assembly or modification of the machine.

  3. Wire and code

    30 min

    Connect sensors and motors, write or edit the control program.

  4. Test and iterate

    15 min

    Run against the challenge, diagnose, change one thing, run again.

  5. Log

    5 min

    Record the change and the result in the build log.

One term block

8 sessions, building on each other

Across repeated sessions

  1. Sessions 1–2

    First machine moving

    Chassis assembled, motors wired, first program uploaded. Every student drives something they built on day one.

    Stage 1 of 4

  2. Sessions 3–4

    Sensors and reactions

    Distance and line sensors added. Teams move from fixed instructions to a machine that responds to what is around it.

    Stage 2 of 4

  3. Sessions 5–6

    Diagnose and rebuild

    Deliberate faults and failed runs. Teams isolate causes, change one variable at a time and keep a build log.

    Stage 3 of 4

  4. Sessions 7–8

    Challenge and present

    Machines run the scored challenge, then teams explain their design decisions and what they changed to the group.

    Stage 4 of 4

Program specifications

Who it is for

Year levels
Years 4 to 10
Group size
Up to 24 students
Ratio
1 facilitator to 12 students
Prior experience
None. Students who have never written a line of code start in the first session.

How it runs

Settings
School, studio, holiday camp
Delivery mode
In person
Session length
90 minutes
Format
Term block of 8 sessions, or a 3 day intensive

What you need

What GLS brings
Robotics kits, components, spare parts and all consumables.
What the venue provides
A room with tables and power that can stay set up between sessions where possible.
Lead time to book
6 weeks, longer in Term 4

In the room

What participants do

What they practise

  • Systems thinking
  • Coding logic
  • Electronics fundamentals
  • Fault diagnosis
  • Iteration and testing
  • Technical communication

What they leave with: A working robot the team has built, wired, programmed and iterated at least twice, with a short build log documenting each change.

Alignment

Curriculum alignment

Arkkibotics is written from GLS robotics delivery, not from the Arkki architecture library. The Arkki pedagogy behind it is documented on the Arkki Australia page rather than repeated here.

  • Digital Technologies: algorithms, implementation and digital systems
  • Design and Technologies: engineering principles and systems, and the design process
  • Science: energy transfer, forces and fair testing
  • Critical and Creative Thinking general capability

Reporting

What you receive afterwards

At the end of a block the school receives:

  • Attendance and participation by session
  • A per-team build log summary showing what was built and how many iterations were run
  • Facilitator observations against the practised skills, at cohort level
  • Photographs of final machines, subject to the school's image permissions

Suitability

Is this the right program for you?

Best for

  • Schools wanting a sustained technology block, not a one-off show
  • Students in Years 4 to 10 with no prior coding experience
  • Sites that can leave equipment set up between sessions

Not the right fit if

  • A single incursion day. The schools stream covers one-off delivery instead
  • Under Year 4. Fine motor and wiring demands are too high
  • Rooms shared with other classes that must be fully packed down each session

FAQ

Questions we are asked about this program

Do students need to know how to code first?
No. The first session assumes zero experience and every student writes and uploads code that day.
What happens if a kit breaks?
Spares are carried to every session. A broken part is treated as part of the diagnosis work, not an interruption.
Can the school keep the kits?
Kits stay with GLS between blocks so they can be maintained and restocked. Schools that want to keep running projects afterwards can ask for continuation or purchase options as part of the proposal.
Is this the same as Arkki?
No. Arkki is design and architecture education. Arkkibotics is robotics, coding and electronics, run by GLS with its own equipment and instructors.

Ready to scope this for your setting?

Send us the cohort, dates and setting and GLS will return a scoped program, staffing model and cost.

Request a proposalArkki Australia