Instructor Stories and Adaptations

These resources describe how the module was adapted for use in different settings. We hope these stories inspire your own use of the module and give you insight into how to adapt the materials for your classroom.

Martha Conklin: Critical Zone Science at University of California-Merced. 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 as described on the website, 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.

Ashlee Dere: Introduction to the Critical Zone at University of Nebraska at Omaha. InTeGrate materials were used as a full semester course for a combined upper level and graduate level geology, geography, and environmental science majors. The course is now a permanent part of the curriculum for undergraduate geology and environmental science majors. Initial course offering included 16 students for two 75-minute lecture sessions. Future offerings will include an additional two hour lab section.

Adam Hoffman: Introduction to the Critical Zone Sciences at University of Dubuque. Introduction to Critical Zone Science was offered as a 300-level elective course for science majors. I taught the course in two different formats: a 15-week traditional face-to-face class consisting of three 50 minute lecture sessions and one 3-hour lab per week, and as an 8-week online summer class.

Jim Washburne: Critical Zone Science at The University of Arizona. I taught a small 400/500 level seminar course called Introduction to Critical Zone Science. 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.

Adam Wymore: Critical Zone Science at The University of New Hampshire. This course was taught as a semester-long 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. We met twice weekly for 75 minutes.

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