Comparison of on-campus and virtual self-assessment outcomes for incoming Appalachian STEM undergraduates’ first research experience

Abstract

The First2 Network is an alliance of higher education institutions across the State of West Virginia striving to improve science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) education by supporting rural, first-generation, and underrepresented college students pursuing STEM majors. Over the summers of 2019 and 2020, the First2 Network delivered two-week summer research immersion experiences at various institutions throughout West Virginia. The 2019 program was delivered on-campus at four universities while the 2020 program was delivered virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, across nine sites. Before and after the immersion experience, students who participated in the program completed a variety of survey questionnaires for the assessment of their interests, expectations, identity and belonging in STEM. We found that the in-person experience in 2019 had better outcomes compared to the virtual experience, suggesting students conducting research directly under their faculty supervisors in-person and on-site will have a more positive impact on their STEM education and career. However, participation in the virtual format still resulted in an improvement in belonging and STEM identity, indicating that connecting with students remotely is still worthwhile when it is the most viable option. The student population in Appalachia faces a number of academic barriers, so there is much to gain by finding new ways to reach as many students as possible with early career development programs.