Building an Online Astronomy Research Student Team at Stanford Online High School

Abstract

For high-school students that have never met in person, and that never expect to meet in person, some unique considerations arise in building a research team. Thoughtful strengthening of team member relationships is both more challenging and more vital than it is for an in-person collaboration. Furthermore, team members must possess a deeper understanding of the scientific process than typical students. The Stanford Online High School (SOHS) science curriculum fosters both the technical savvy and the scientific awareness that are advantageous in structuring an effective online collaborative research experience. This article describes an Stanford Online High School (SOHS) instructor’s experience in cultivating the type of student for whom an online student research team experience is well-suited, and outlines some applications in the context of the Astronomy Research Seminar’s broadening scope.