Growing Pains: Limiting Nutrients for Algal Growth in Aquatic Ecosystems

This lesson is designed for upper division undergraduates but can be scaled for lower division undergraduates. Ideally, students have taken a general chemistry course. The background reading and videos provide enough context for undergraduates of multiple levels to engage. This lesson has the strength of including field, lab, and analytical components, but the lesson also has a lot of moving pieces that would benefit from having a team instructor or a TA or two. While I would not necessarily recommend this for a brand-new instructor, this lesson could be something to build piece-by-piece. Ultimately, this lesson could be a unit for one of your classes that incorporates project-based learning and culminates in a larger writing project. Resources provided in addition to the lesson template include student worksheets, laboratory protocols, and datasheet templates.