Online Advantage: Lessons Learned from a Virtual REU Program
Abstract
Adapting an undergraduate research program, which typically relies on intensive, in-person interaction, to run entirely online is inevitably fraught with risks and challenges. However, our experience during the summer of 2020 -- in the midst of a global pandemic -- shows that an online REU program is not only a viable model, but also potentially an option that improves equity and can even enhance certain types of communication. For example, residential REU programs tend to favor traditional undergraduate students, and may potentially disadvantage nontraditional students and those who attend non-residential college programs, for whom travel to a distant REU site may present an insurmountable challenge. Thus, programs that can accommodate remote students and facilitate virtual interaction promote equity and diversity in research -- even in a post-pandemic world. Here, we present our experience in an REU online collaboration, lessons learned about successful and unsuccessful collaboration strategies, and some of the tools that fostered effective communication. We also discuss some of the unique challenges that must be foreseen to realize a rewarding online research program. Some useful strategies from this program may also have broader applicability to improve participation and interaction in professional settings, including remote and in-person projects, workshops, and meetings. We share a few essential tools and tips for research and meeting organizers who are looking to improve accessibility in their programs by including fully or partially online components.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMED040..07C
- Keywords:
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- 0810 Post-secondary education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design;
- EDUCATION;
- 0825 Teaching methods;
- EDUCATION;
- 0840 Evaluation and assessment;
- EDUCATION