  In the Summer of 2020, as COVID-19 limited in-person research opportunities
and created additional barriers for many students, institutions either canceled
or remotely hosted their Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs.
The present longitudinal qualitative phenomenographic study was designed to
explore some of the possible limitations, challenges and outcomes of this
remote experience. Overall, 94 interviews were conducted with paired
participants; mentees (N=10) and mentors (N=8) from six different REU programs.
By drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a framework, our
study uncovers some of the challenges for mentees around the accomplishment of
their research objectives and academic goals. These challenges included
motivation, limited access to technologies at home, limited communication among
REU students, barriers in mentor-mentee relationships, and differing
expectations about doing research. Despite the challenges, all mentees reported
that this experience was highly beneficial. Comparisons between outcomes of
these remote REUs and published outcomes of in-person undergraduate research
programs reveal many similar benefits such as integrating students into STEM
culture. Our study suggests that remote research programs could be considered
as a means to expand access to research experiences for undergraduate students
even after COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
