This page serves as the pacing guide for the 90-minute format. It helps with planning the arc of the experience, staff transitions, and learner momentum before moving into the more detailed facilitator language and pause-point guidance in Run of Show. For remix ideas or follow-up pathways beyond the core schedule, Supplementals works as the companion page.
90-Minute Activation
This format is a good fit for a live activation where you want enough time for learners to build across all three stages, talk about tradeoffs, and still leave room for one guided remix or replay moment. The schedule below is detailed enough for planning, but still flexible enough to adjust for crowd energy, device sharing, or short resets between groups.
1. Welcome, Device Check, and Team Framing (10 minutes)
The first few minutes set the tone before learners touch the tutorials.
- welcome learners and frame the experience as a build-test-improve challenge rather than a lecture
- confirm devices are open and the skillmap is ready to launch
- explain the idea of tradeoffs in plain language
- establish partner roles if devices are shared, such as Driver and Navigator
- preview that students will see software, data, design, and strategy roles throughout the experience
By the end of this segment, learners should know what they are building, how they will work together, and what to do first.
2. Stage 1, The Garage (20 minutes)
This segment should move quickly toward a first visible success. Learners are building confidence, making an initial setup choice, and seeing that their decisions will carry forward.
- guide students through the opening build steps without letting the room stall on perfect understanding
- pause briefly for prediction once setup values and tradeoff ideas appear
- make sure learners reach the Garage Shakedown so they can test the effect of an early choice
- use the first test result as a compare-and-explain moment, not just a completion checkpoint
What this block is for:
- getting everyone to a playable state
- helping students connect one code choice to one gameplay outcome
- setting up the idea that speed, efficiency, and strategy interact rather than stand alone
If students need more challenge in this stage:
- ask them to change both speed and efficiency, then explain which tradeoff became more obvious in the shakedown
- invite them to revise the tradeoff rule so the car feels more balanced or more extreme, then test again
- have them improve the Garage feedback, such as the mission message, readout, or retry flow, so another player could understand the result faster
3. Stage 2, On the Road (25 minutes)
This is the longest work block because it is where students see their earlier decisions in motion and begin making more dynamic judgments.
- let the game do some of the teaching through movement, collisions, pit stops, and changing conditions
- pause once students have a visible track moment to name what their earlier setup is helping or hurting
- use pit stop briefings and weather changes to connect code decisions to real team roles without slowing the room down too much
- keep learners moving so they experience both the base challenge and the adaptation layer
What this block is for:
- seeing tradeoffs play out under pressure
- connecting student choices to roles like telemetry analyst, strategist, and sustainability lead
- giving students enough time to notice that not every strong choice is simply the fastest one
If students need more challenge in this stage:
- ask them to adjust one reward and one penalty at the same time, then decide whether the track still feels fair
- invite them to change a pit stop or weather variable and predict how the smartest strategy will shift
- have them compare two runs and explain whether their remix rewarded speed, control, or long-term consistency most strongly
4. Stage 3, The Finish Line (15 minutes)
This section should feel like a culmination, not a rush to the end. Learners bring their prior choices into the final challenge, then use the reflection steps to make sense of the result.
- guide students into the final challenge and make sure they understand they are now combining systems they built earlier
- leave enough room for the one-screen review and reflection steps to matter
- emphasize evidence from the run, such as collisions, pit choices, or saved results, instead of vague reactions
- connect the final reflection to next-test thinking and team roles
What this block is for:
- helping students interpret results, not just finish the tutorial
- reinforcing that testing and iteration are part of engineering
- preparing the room for a short remix, replay, or share-out
If students need more challenge in this stage:
- ask them to improve the review so it shows clearer evidence from the run, such as which result mattered most
- invite them to revise the next-test recommendation so it gives more specific advice instead of a general reflection
- have them change the Winners Circle or closing message so it connects both to a role and to one concrete code or gameplay decision
5. Remix, Share, or Replay (15 minutes)
This time works best as one manageable extension rather than a full open-ended build session. In most cases, a small remix that creates a visible difference quickly is the strongest choice.
- invite learners to change one variable, reward rule, message, or reflection screen element
- encourage pairs to predict what will change before they test again
- if time or device flow is tight, let teams share a remix idea verbally instead of fully building it
- if a replay is more realistic than a code change, use the replay to compare decisions and results
Good remix choices for this block include:
- adjusting speed or efficiency values from The Garage
- changing collision, reward, or weather pressure from On the Road
- improving summary language or next-test advice from The Finish Line
6. Closing Reflection and Transition (5 minutes)
A short reflection at the end captures learning without turning the final minutes into a long debrief.
- ask learners to name one choice they made and one effect they observed
- invite one or two students to connect a game moment to a real team role
- ask what they would test next if they had another round
- reset the room for the next group or transition to the next event activity
By the end of the session, learners should leave with a clear sense that coding involved visible decisions, testing, and revision, not just following directions.
Planning Notes for the 90-Minute Format
- build in a small time buffer inside the On the Road or Remix block in case device login, pairing, or navigation takes longer than expected
- if the room is moving slowly, prioritize reaching one complete run through all three stages over squeezing in every discussion prompt
- if the room is moving quickly, use the extra time for replay and compare rather than adding a brand-new task
- if you are supporting a live activation with multiple adults, align ahead of time on who handles launch support, who circulates for debugging, and who leads the closing share-out
Shorter Formats
When the full 90-minute format is not available, the safest cut is to reduce extension time before cutting the build-test-reflect arc.
60-Minute Classroom Version
- 8 minutes for welcome, device check, and team framing
- 15 minutes for The Garage
- 18 minutes for On the Road
- 12 minutes for The Finish Line
- 7 minutes for closing reflection
This version keeps all three stages. The first cut should be the dedicated remix block, followed by shorter whole-group pauses inside each stage.
30-Minute Event-Floor or Demo Version
- 5 minutes for launch and role setup
- 10 minutes for a guided path through The Garage into one visible shakedown result
- 10 minutes for one On the Road moment with a single pit stop, obstacle, or weather comparison
- 5 minutes for one brief reflection and career connection
This version should prioritize one visible setup choice, one test result, and one reflection question. The Finish Line can be omitted in this format if time is too tight, but the session should still end with a short compare-and-explain moment.