Apprenticeship Research Experiences (AREs) provide undergraduates with an opportunity to conduct real-world experiments as members of an investigator’s research team. As AREs offer experiential learning in authentic research settings, they have been demonstrated to enhance students’ self-efficacy and retention in the sciences. Despite these strengths, AREs are associated with several challenges. For example, students often compete for AREs as summer students or scholarships offered by the university or funding agencies. As a result, many students may not receive an ARE during their degree, raising questions of equity/inclusion factors that may impact eligibility. To address these issues, our faculty developed a laboratory course that directly integrates AREs into its structure. I will discuss this novel course structure along with successes/challenges encountered since its implementation. An interactive discussion will follow whereby participants may share ideas and experiences regarding AREs to further support inclusive teaching and learning in the undergraduate laboratory.
