Distance Learning Lab: A Model for Undergraduate Research

Abstract

Degree-seeking distance students, who often are from dis-advantaged demographics, are becoming increasingly common. Degrees earned through distance learning can be viewed as less acceptable by graduate schools and employers, yet undergraduate research can aid in employment and graduate or professional school applications. Therefore, it is important to offer distance research labs to distance-learning students. This article discusses a framework for social science distance labs based on a successful undergraduate distance lab. The framework is built on three principles: (1) identifying values, which can be used to guide decisions on lab direction; (2) overcoming obstacles based on identified values; and (3) playing to the online medium by gearing the lab toward research that can be conducted virtually.