Arkansas Summer Research Institute: The Evolution of an Engaging Online Training Program in Data Analytics and Research Targeting Underrepresented Students in STEM

Shortage of highly-skilled STEM workers, lack of critical technical skills, and persistence of underrepresentation are key problems for our nation's future. The Arkansas Summer Research Institute (ASRI) incorporates novel approaches to broaden participation in STEM, research, and data analytics, especially among URM students (over 50% of ASRI participants). The ASRI has evolved from in-person to a virtual model that includes innovations in organization, engagement technologies, personalization, gamification, mentoring, and networking. Students conduct independent research projects and present their findings. Student confidence in coding, research, statistics, and visualization skills improved significantly (p<0.001) during this two-week summer program. Furthermore, the use of continuous communication, ongoing help, extremely low student-to-mentor ratios, and one-on-one coaching led to excellent overall satisfaction scores on a 5-point scale, which were surprisingly higher in a virtual environment (N = 148, M = 4.73, SD = 0.53) than an in-person one (N = 133, M = 4.11, SD = 0.87, p < 0.001). The ASRI has trained over 300 students and involved over 130 STEM professors and professionals from across Arkansas in the pursuit of equitable and productive training and can serve as a model for other groups seeking to develop similar programs in the future.