Coaches FAQ

This page is for prospective and current coaches of CRE[AT]E teams. The coach role only applies to high school teams.

The role:

• A coach is the adult (18+) responsible for a high school team, who is local to the student team members

• Coaches act as the primary point of contact for the organizers of the Challenge

Am I qualified? Do I need to be an engineer?

Coaches do not need to have any specific disability, product design, or other technical expertise. Having expertise in these or other related areas can be helpful, but is not required. Coaches do need to have time and interest in working with students to go through the CRE[AT]E Challenge. Coaches are often parents or teachers of team members.

How much time does this take?

Coach time commitments are variable, depending on the team and the nature of the project. A few hours a week is not uncommon during the bulk of the season, though it may be less when the team is initially getting started, and likely to be more when they have deliverables due and towards the end of the season.

What do I do as a coach?

Coaches have the following roles:

• Holding a team together and ensuring that they are making progress on the Challenge

• Coordinating a regular meeting time and place

• Serving as the point person for contact with the Challenge coordinators (students may also contact the coordinators, but we will default to getting in touch with coaches)

• Responsibility for mediating co-designer interactions and handling consent forms and issues

• Help teams get access to necessary tools, materials, and other resources

• Figure out team logistics if your team is attending the Final Event in April in person

What is outside my role?

• Designing the product

• Serving as the co-designer (we consider these to be two separate roles)

• Teaching the course content (you may build on the online content if you wish, but you do not have to)