Engagement is related to important student outcomes such as persistence, retention, and grades. It is key to all students' learning, but it may be particularly important for culturally diverse students who may have fewer models and other resources for keeping themselves engaged. As the institutions of higher education become increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, instructors are challenged to engage a more diverse student population. This paper describes how three university instructors applied the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) Standards for Effective Pedagogy to their instruction in courses of general psychology, educational psychology, and statistics in order to increase students' cognitive and social engagement. The CREDE Standards are strategies of instruction that incorporate small group discussions and making connections between students' prior experiences and abstract concepts.