Operations of a Research Experience for Undergraduates Program During a Pandemic

COVID-19 dramatically changed research experience for undergraduates (REU) programs during the summer of 2020. Given the uncertainty about the ability to conduct future REU programs onsite amidst a pandemic of unknown duration, it was decided to undertake the development of a model for online-based REUs and evaluate it using the evaluation tools that have been applied for some time to onsite programs. This paper presents the REU program at North Dakota State University during the summer of 2020 and its assessment. An overview of the program, as it ran in 2020, is provided. This is compared to the way the program operated in prior years as an onsite program. Specific changes that were made and their impact on the equivalency of the program to prior years are discussed. The approach used is presented as a model for potential use by other programs in the future.