Ashlee Dere: Introduction to the Critical Zone at University of Nebraska at Omaha
Ashlee Dere, University of Nebraska at Omaha
The Introduction to the Critical Zone modules work well as a small (< 20 students) upper level/graduate course for geoscience majors and is now a permanent part of our geoscience curriculum. The materials employ active learning techniques that are enjoyable to work on with the students and provide a strong foundation in Critical Zone Science. Students really enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the material and the opportunity to use real data and practice skills they are likely to use in their jobs. The students reported and demonstrated improvement in their critical thinking skills and confidence in problem solving because the course focused on building skills rather than memorizing content.

Martha Conklin: Critical Zone Science at University of California-Merced
Martha Conklin, University of California-Merced
Turning students on to the "critical zone" My course is an upper level multidisciplinary course that uses the critical zone (the zone between bedrock and the tops of trees) to illustrate the synergy between the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. This course was taught with short lectures, online readings and group activities both in and out of class. It culminated with a research paper and a 10-min presentation of the research paper. The students were incredibly engaged throughout the class. The class was open to all majors – so there was a fraction of seniors trying to fill in a last course. I was excited about the level of participation. The in-class exercises helped students to become comfortable with the material. We had an optional fieldtrip to the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory and it was right after we had dug a number of soil pits – so the students could see the in situ heterogeneity. I think this class helps students synthesize the interconnectedness of critical zone processes (from soil forming to the role vegetation plays in the water balance) and the role those processes play in their lives.

Adam Wymore: Introduction to Critical Zone Science at University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Adam Wymore, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
This course was taught as an upper-division elective to Environmental Science Majors at the University of New Hampshire. The student body reflected a mix of students specializing in Ecosystem Ecology, Soils, and Hydrology. This diversity, as well as my training as a biologist made for an rich combination of perspectives on Critical Zone Science. At the end of course, students really appreciated the holistic approach to environmental and earth system science.

Adam Hoffman: Using in Introduction to the Critical Zone Sciences at University of Dubuque
Adam Hoffman, University of Dubuque
I have had success teaching the entire Introduction to Critical Zone Sciences course in a variety of contexts. I first taught the course in a traditional face-to-face format over the course of a semester. The students were very excited and enjoyed the variety of disciplines covered in the course and the real-world data that were assigned to interact with. The second time I taught the course I taught it as an online summer class and again the feedback was positive regarding the data analysis activities.

Jim Washburne: Using in Introduction to Critical Zone Science at The University of Arizona
Jim Washburne, The University of Arizona
I taught a small (8 person) mixed 400/500 level seminar course called Introduction to Critical Zone Science so the students were a mix of upper class undergraduates and graduates. Some of my students had prior experience (internships/RA's) with the actual Critical Zone research teams on campus so brought (and shared) their advanced but unique experiences with the class. Despite or perhaps because of their advanced level, most students had only been exposed to a narrow range of ideas relative to the big picture of Critical Zone integrated systems.