Developing STEM and Team-working Skills Through Collaborative Space Robotics Missions

Building on the success of the first North-South cross-continental collaborative educational robotics mission held in November 2015 [1], this paper presents a practical model for scaling the event up into a program for developing countries, particularly those of Africa, where the first edition took place. Past participants in Remote Rescue Thymio II (R2T2) missions, students and educators alike, have shared qualitative observations about its positive educational impact, notably in the areas of Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking, Creative problem solving, Computational thinking, and Cross-cultural exchange. The proposed framework for delivering R2T2 missions has been adapted to Africa, being specifically designed to tackle the critical challenges of internet connectivity, teacher training and program costs. In so doing, it strives to pave the way for collaboration with partners in African educational ecosystems and North-South funding bodies that share the vision of making collaborative STEM education more accessible and attractive to teachers and schoolchildren around the world.