"How Do We Do This at a Distance?!" A Descriptive Study of Remote Undergraduate Research Programs during COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Life Sciences
• Undergraduate Education
• Remote Learning

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the closure of traditional undergraduate research programs.
• In Summer 2020, 23 institutions offered remote undergraduate research programs in the life sciences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate the design and implementation of remote undergraduate research programs.
• To identify student-reported strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for remote Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs).

Main Methods:

• Utilized structured templates to document program design and participation.
• Conducted student focus groups and surveys to gather feedback on program experiences.

Main Results:

• Key strengths included high-quality mentorship, professional development, and community connection.
• Identified weaknesses such as limited cohort building, insufficient structure, and technology issues.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) activities were present but not prominent in student feedback.

Conclusions:

• Remote REUs can be designed to provide positive student experiences.
• Remote REUs demonstrate potential for scalability and further investigation into their affordances and constraints.