🛠 Intro to Arduino Uno R3 (Ages 11 - 16) — Self-paced

   Course Overview
This self-paced course introduces students to the Arduino Uno R3, one of the most widely used microcontrollers in STEM education. Through guided video lessons and hands-on challenges, learners will explore how electronics, sensors, and coding work together to control lights, motors, and interactive systems.

By the end of the course, students will feel confident setting up and using their Arduino Uno. They’ll build circuits with simple components, program LEDs to blink, use buttons and sensors to gather input, and control a small motor. Along the way, they’ll design, wire, code, and refine their own creations—building a strong foundation in electronics and programming while keeping the learning fun, creative, and hands-on.

 By the end of this course, students will:

• Understand how an Arduino microcontroller functions in real-world technology.
   
• Wire basic circuits using breadboards, LEDs, resistors, sensors, and motors.
   
• Write and upload simple programs in the Arduino IDE to control lights, sensors, and motors.
   
• Apply the engineering design process: plan → build → test → improve.
   
• Develop problem-solving and troubleshooting skills while creating fun, hands-on prototypes.

 Level 1 (6 weeks): Core fundamentals 

 By the end of this course, students will feel confident setting up and using their Arduino Uno. They’ll learn how to connect circuits with simple components, program lights to blink, use buttons and sensors to gather input, and even control a small motor. These projects build a strong foundation in electronics and coding while keeping the learning fun and hands-on.
Map to kit projects:

• Week 1: Tools + LEDs (from “Get to Know Your Tools,” “Spaceship Interface”) 
• Week 2: Digital outputs + timing (blink patterns; “Spaceship Interface”) 
• Week 3: Inputs & basic sensing (buttons + photoresistor; “Light Theremin” concepts) 
• Week 4: Motion output (servo intro; ties into later “Motorized Pinwheel”)
• Week 5: Integrations (sensor → motor; simple state machine)
• Week 6: Final project (student-designed; minimum 1 input + 1 output)

• Computer (Windows or Mac) with USB port + Arduino IDE software (free download).
   
• Recommended Kit: Arduino Official Starter Kit (K000007) (~$90). Includes the genuine Arduino Uno R3 board, breadboard, jumper wires, LEDs, resistors, sensors, and motors, plus a project book.
   
• Internet connection for video lessons and feedback submissions.
   

 MTC instructors are certified educators and industry professionals with experience in electronics, coding, and robotics. They provide step-by-step guidance through the Arduino environment while encouraging students to experiment and innovate. 

 This is a self-paced course, so students work independently with video lessons and teacher feedback. Parents may need to assist with kit ordering or computer setup. Occasional supervision is recommended for younger learners when handling wires, motors, or tools. 

 This course connects to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Standards, including:

• NGSS MS-ETS1: Engineering Design — defining problems, developing solutions, optimizing designs.
   
• NGSS MS-PS2: Motion and Stability — exploring forces, motion, and interactions in electrical systems.
   
• CSTA 2-CS-02: Design and develop programs with loops, conditionals, and variables.
   
• CSTA 3A-AP-16: Incorporate sensors and hardware inputs/outputs into computational artifacts.