A TWO-WEEK VIRTUAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS (RECCS): AN ENTRY-POINT FOR STUDENTS INTO THE GEOSCIENCES

The RECCS program is a nine-week, summer research experience in environmental and geosciences at the University of Colorado Boulder specifically for students enrolled at 2-year colleges. The aim of the program is to provide a diverse group of students with an authentic research experience, a sense of belonging in the sciences, and confidence to pursue a 4-year science degree. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the RECCS team reimagined the internship as a virtual two-week mini-research and professional development program dubbed "RECCS-Lite." Students in the 2020 cohort overwhelmingly chose this option over a full nine-week virtual program—despite earning less of a stipend— because it left the door open to return in person next summer for the full experience, including the field work component that is difficult to replicate remotely. This study explores how RECCS-Lite might have impacted i) students’ self-reported gains compared to previous RECCS cohorts and ii) students’ self-efficacy, science identity, and career intent from before to after the program.

Students in the 2020 RECCS cohort reported good to great gains in all four areas that we measured using the Undergraduate Student Research Self-Report (URSSA, 2009)—thinking like a scientist, research skills, attitudes and behaviors, and personal gains related to research. These gains were not as great, however, when compared to previous RECCS cohorts who participated in the full summer in-person internship. Next, in an attempt to measure the program’s impact beyond self-report data, we analyzed survey items for self-efficacy, science identity, and science careers developed by Chemers et al (2011) administered in a pre- and post-survey. While changes in students’ scores from pre to post were not statistically significant, they were suggestive of improved self-efficacy and science identity. Finally, qualitative data shows that students planned to pursue science beyond even the undergraduate level as a direct result of participating in the program. While not a replacement for in-person or field-based research, RECCS-Lite was a successful entry-point for community college students into science research and could be a model to remotely engage students with little prior research experience in preparation for a full summer, field-based experience.