We designed a collaborative course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) between an Analytical Chemistry course and an Environmental Toxicology course to engage students in a research project that cannot rely on one discipline alone. This study reports on 47 students’ self-reported experiences with the course outcomes and their opinions of the CURE project. Students in both courses increased their levels of experience in skills related to the CURE project, including their ability to design a project where the outcome was unknown. Further, most students felt a sense of project ownership, but their ownership was attributed only to the positive aspects of the CURE. At the end of the CURE, the students in both classes demonstrated the ability to connect ideas and techniques learned in the course to a broader environmental research question. We also suggest several tips for developing collaborative CUREs in undergraduate courses.

General chemistry laboratory curriculum reform is underway at a midsized state university through a collaborative, inclusive, and iterative approach. Using a backward design approach, faculty collaborated to actualize a shared vision, define laboratory learning objectives, and outline considerations for inclusivity during summer workshops that guided the process of curriculum design. With support from an instructional designer from the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, as well as faculty development support through an HHMI Inclusive Excellence grant, the faculty have designed and implemented the new curriculum, assessed the implementation, and continue to make iterative change based on student data and reflection. The goal of this report is not to provide a new set of chemistry laboratories, rather, we share our framework to provide an example of how to implement a collaborative and inclusive laboratory redesign.

Persons excluded due to ethnicity or race (PEERs) leave STEM at disproportionate rates; therefore, efforts to engage undergraduate PEERs are critical to creating a diverse STEM workforce. Through a Howard Hughes Medical Institute funded Inclusive Excellence grant (HHMI-IE), the REALISE (REALizing Inclusive Science Excellence) program was developed with the goal to increase student retention and success. As part of this project, an extensive faculty development program, including a backward course design module, workshops on microaggressions and implicit bias, and teamwork training, was created to help faculty implement inclusive pedagogy strategies. There were 33 faculty members who participated in the trainings within faculty learning communities (FLCs) and were further supported with STEM-Education (STEM-Ed) reading groups, faculty mixers, minigrants, and engagement from the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL). Evaluation of 10 faculty members' change narratives and reflective prompts revealed that low-stakes opportunities such as STEM-Ed reading groups had the most influence for instituting learner-centered classroom practices, and the workshops on microaggressions and implicit biases prompted faculty to create opportunities to build respectful relationships with students. Here, we share lessons learned from our program evaluation so that others can successfully implement inclusive pedagogy in chemistry.

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