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We seek to increase student engagement and success to subsequently lead to increased retention and degree attainment for students at our Hispanic-serving institution. We hypothesized that using a culturally responsive approach in an undergraduate microbiology lab would increase engagement and learning gains. Using a culturally responsive approach allowed students to start their learning from their own place of understanding—centering students’ lived experiences. Students interviewed family members to learn about “home remedies,” and then devised experiments to test whether those home remedies affected growth of bacteria commonly implicated in gastrointestinal distress (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli) or sore throat (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae). As a final assessment, students generated project posters which they presented at a class symposium. Implementation of a culturally responsive research experience focused on the gut microbiome resulted in increased learning gains as evidenced by movement up Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy Scale. Student feedback indicated increased engagement, increased confidence in communicating science and a deeper understanding and appreciation for microbiology. Taken together, the results indicate that students appreciate a more culturally responsive and student-centered approach to learning in microbiology and encourages expansion of this approach to other modules in the course. This paper includes responsive data to support this claim, as well as a sample course calendar and supplementary learning material to support the human microbiome approach to microbiology 

This article illustrates how the authors transformed "research in the classroom" into chemistry courses at a two-year college in the form of a short course-based research experience. The students worked in groups to research nanomaterials, came up with a series of carbon nanoparticles precursors from waste materials, and developed simple and cost-effective methods to produce carbon nanoparticles. Not surprisingly, students became more active learners as they were in charge of learning and were given authority to modify lab activities with their learning experience progressing. A deeper approach to learning helped students better appreciate chemical sciences, increase conceptual learning, and become responsible citizens. The project helped improve students’ critical thinking skills and raise awareness of the relevance between students’ learning in chemistry and real-life experience. It also provided a platform to discuss sustainability, green chemistry, and nanomaterials. To increase the efforts for student success, academic technologies were utilized to aid the project.