Introductory aquatic and environmental science courses provide an excellent opportunity to prepare both majors and non-majors for thinking about some of the largest issues facing society such as climate change and energy needs. Introductory courses can also serve to recruit students from highly diverse backgrounds into the field and/or to engage students of all majors to think deeply about environmental issues such as climate change. Often, these courses are large (>50 students). This workshop will provide strategies to overcome some of the challenges of these large introductory courses while making your teaching engaging, relevant, and effective for all students. A special emphasis is placed on a few big concepts that can help organize examples and knowledge for students to grapple with future ocean and environmental issues. Come ready to share ideas, to think actively about teaching and learning, and to discuss what works and why.

Lead Organizer: Robert Chen, University of Massachusetts - Boston (bob.chen@umb.edu)