01
Build before you're ready
We don't lecture for weeks before students touch a robot. The first VEX IQ build happens in week one — with mentor support — because confidence comes from making, not from listening.
Our Pedagogy · VEX IQ Competition · Bangkok
A VEX Coach in Bangkok who teaches VEX IQ the way Silicon Valley builds products.
Beyond Code Academy was founded by engineers from the Bay Area who believed children in Thailand deserve the same iterative, project-based learning culture that powers the world's best technology companies. Our VEX IQ Competition pedagogy is the result — and it's what carried our teams to the international stage of the VEX World pathway. The program is now structured around the VEX Level Up 2026–2027 game.
02
Iterate, don't perfect
Students prototype, test, fail, and revise on a fixed cadence. Engineering notebooks track every design decision, modeling the discipline of real R&D teams.
03
Mentorship, not instruction
Coaches ask questions before giving answers. Children learn to debug, defend their reasoning, and present to VIQRC judges — skills that outlast any tournament.
04
Compete with intent
Competition is a deadline, not the destination. We use VEX IQ tournaments — from Bangkok regionals to the VEX World pathway — to focus the cohort, then debrief every match as a team.
A typical week
What a VEX IQ session actually looks like.
Each weekly mentor-led session runs 1.5 hours and follows the same engineering rhythm, with additional independent team practice arranged during flexible center hours.
0:00
Standup
Each team shares the goal for the session and last week's blockers.
0:10
Build & code
Pair programming, mechanical iteration, autonomous coding.
0:50
Field test
Run the robot on the actual VEX IQ field. Measure, log, repeat.
1:20
Debrief
Notebook entry, mentor feedback, set next week's goals.
Curriculum scope
VEX IQ skills built across two years.
The mentorship program is structured but not rigid. Mentors adjust pace per student so no child is left behind, and ambitious students are pushed further — toward VEX Level Up challenges and the current VIQRC season.
Engineering
Mechanical design & gear ratios
Sensor integration (gyro, distance, color)
Pneumatics & advanced lifts
CAD basics
Programming
Block coding (VEXcode IQ)
VEXcode Python
Autonomous routines
Introduction to PID
Engineering practice
Engineering notebook
Design reviews & critique
Presenting to judges
Team strategy
The best way to understand our pedagogy is to see it.
Learn more about our VEX IQ mentorship program and how we support each team's competition journey.
Learn more →