Student-Powered™ Policy

TEAM Alliance Programs are built on a simple idea: students learn best when they do the work themselves.

Our goal is to create fun, inclusive experiences where students build confidence in STEM by actively designing, building, coding, and operating their own robots.

What “Student-Powered” Means

In TEAM Alliance Programs, students are responsible for:

The students on the teams attend the same school.
Example: Designing their robot
Building their robot
Coding their robot
Developing strategies with their robot
Troubleshooting their robot
Representing their team at events

Students should use skills and knowledge that reflect their own abilities and learning. The focus is on growth, not perfection.

The Role of Adults

Adults (Team Coordinators, parents, and volunteers) play an important role—but their role is to support learning, not do the work.

Adults may:

Teach concepts and demonstrate skills
Ask questions that guide student thinking
Ask guiding questions to help students troubleshoot problems
Ensure safety when using tools or equipment
Provide encouragement and structure

Adults may not:

Design, build, code, or operate the robot for students
Provide complete solutions for students to copy
Take control during matches or strategy decisions
Speak on behalf of students during events

Learning Over Winning

TEAM Alliance prioritizes:

Trying new ideas
Learning from mistakes
Building confidence
Having fun

Winning is not the goal—student growth is the goal.

No team should have an advantage because of adult involvement. Every team should compete based on what their students can do.

Examples:
Student-Powered

Students build and improve their robot, even if it isn’t perfect
Students write and explain their own code
Students make strategy decisions
Students discuss design and strategy with students on other teams
Adults ask questions like, “What do you think will work?”

Not Student-Powered

An adult builds or fixes the robot while students watch
Students use code they don’t understand
Adults direct strategy or control decisions
Adults tell students exactly what to do step-by-step

Accountability

All participating organizations are expected to follow this Policy.

TEAM Alliance may review concerns related to Student-Powered violations. If a team or organization is not aligned with this Policy, consequences may include:

Warnings or guidance
Removal from an event
Removal of qualification status to a State/Regional/National Championship
Removal from TEAM Alliance Programs

Note: There is an appeal process before the removal of any TEAM Alliance events, activities, and/or programs.