Remote Early Research Experiences for Undergraduate Students in Computing

ABSTRACTWe provide an experience report about a remote framework for early undergraduate research experiences, which was thematically focused on sensing humans computationally. The framework included three complementary components. First, students experienced a team-based research cycle online, spanning formulating research questions, conducting literature review, performing fully remote human subject data collection experiments and data processing, analyzing and making inference over acquired data with computational experimentation, and disseminating findings. Second, the virtual program offered a set of professional development activities targeted to developing skills and knowledge for graduate school and research career trajectories. Third, it offered interactional and cohort-networking programming for community-building. We discuss not only the unique challenges of the virtual format and the steps put in place to address them but also the opportunities that being online afforded to innovate undergraduate research training remotely. We evaluate the remote training intervention through the organizing team's post-program reflection and the students' perceptions conveyed in exit interviews and a mid-program focus group. In addition to outlining lessons learned about more or less successful framework elements, we offer recommendations for applying the framework at other institutions as well as how to transfer activities to in-person formats.