The challenges of cohort development during a virtual internship program in response to COVID-19

Abstract:

In the era of COVID-19, the sudden transfer of in-person internship programs to online programs had a serious impact on cohort building and relationship establishment. This impacted the relationships between the participants themselves, as well as with their mentors. We discuss the strategies employed by the Boulder Solar Alliance Research Experience for Undergraduate program to tackle the challenge of an online environment during the 2020 internship. We will present the rationale, implementation, and outcomes of our efforts, as well as a discussion of lessons learned from the experience.