Teaching
Education that connects
ecosystems, cultures, and InsPires SustaiNable futures
At the heart of our lab is a commitment to cultivating the next generation of scientists, thinkers, and bridge-builders. Dr. Coe’s courses blend field-based learning, ecological theory, and Indigenous knowledge systems to help students see the natural world — and their place in it — with new depth. Whether in the classroom, the forest, or the lab, students are invited to question, connect, and grow.
BIOL 3415 Plant Taxonomy
(Spring semesters) [Syllabus]
Organisms are often defined by the characteristics they possess. Plant systematics is the scientific study of classifying plant taxa based on their morphological and evolutionary relationships. This course introduces concepts and principles of plant systematics including taxonomy, botanical nomenclature, classification, description, identification and basic phylogenetic analyses of North Texas flora and other taxa from various ecosystems. This course meets three times per week. The course method primarily involves a combination of short introductory lectures, focused class discussions about plant taxonomy, systematics, and regular quizzes and activities to facilitate learn-by-doing strategies. Weekly labs will further develop class material covered in lectures with hands-on activities using fresh plant specimens as well as greenhouse-reared model plants for on-sight identification. Labs will further develop skills in plant identification techniques, understanding reproductive and vegetative morphology, plant collection, specimen mounting and herbarium pressing.
Students have commented that this course:
“This course was made outstanding by the instructor’s rare combination of expertise, clarity, and genuine dedication to student learning. What stood out most was their ability to make a content-heavy subject feel manageable and even exciting. Their organizational skills were impeccable—each class built naturally on the last, with seamless transitions between topics that made the progression feel intuitive. Beyond the technical instruction, the instructor brought a deep respect for the discipline and valued precision and curiosity, which elevated the tone of the entire course. Their availability outside of class, prompt feedback, and attention to detail showed a level of commitment that went far beyond the minimum. I always felt that my learning truly mattered to them. It’s not an exaggeration to say this instructor sets the standard for what excellent teaching should look like in the sciences. Dr. Coe is truly an exceptional man.”
“Aspects of the Plant Taxonomy course that contributed most to my learning were the fieldwork sessions and hands-on identification labs. Collecting plant specimens and using dichotomous keys in real-time helped me connect theoretical knowledge with practical skills. These experiences made it easier to recognize plant families and understand morphological characteristics. Additionally, learning to use herbarium resources and digital databases for classification reinforced my ability to research and verify species accurately. The instructor’s use of visual aids, such as detailed diagrams and live samples, also significantly enhanced my understanding of plant structures and taxonomic relationships.”
“Dr. Coe displays a genuine enthusiasm for us to actually LEARN the subject material. He doesn’t just expect us to retain information long enough to spit it back out for one test. This class hinged on repetition as a learning tool, and it worked! Aside from that, Dr. Coe leaned into affirmations and celebrating our advancements through his class, so actually putting in effort to learn felt rewarding and reinforced. Unlike most classes at this university, the professor for this class puts in more effort than just "well, either you pass or you fail, I don’t care". Dr. Coe isn’t just here for a paycheck; he genuinely wants us to learn and understand the concepts. I’d say Tarleton needs more professors like him.”
BIOL 3436 Plant Physiology
(Fall semesters) [Syllabus]
Plants are multicellular, photosynthetic, eucaryotic autotrophs with unique anatomical and physiological characters. This course will provide a strong foundation in the physiology of photosynthetic vascular plants with emphasis on photosynthesis, growth, nitrogen metabolism, respiration and mineral nutrition. This course will highlight several aspects of plant anatomy, morphology, and functional ecology. The class meets two times per week. The course method primarily involves a combination of lectures, focused class discussions about scientific papers, regular quizzes and activities to facilitate learn-by-doing strategies. Weekly labs will further develop class material covered in lecture with hands-on activities using fresh local plant specimens as well as greenhouse-reared model plants and prepared slides. Labs help students to further develop skills in microscopy, experimental techniques for studying plant physiology, and basic functional ecology.
Students have commented that this course:
“Dr. Coe is very passionate about plant physiology. I would recommend him to anyone!! Even when material got challenging and the workload was heavy, Dr. Coe was encouraging and always made sure to acknowledge our efforts. For someone who was not very interested in plants to begin with, Dr. Coe’s class turned that around for me. Dr. Coe is genuinely one of the best, if not the best, Professor Tarleton has to offer.”
“This course was extremely conducive to learning; Dr. Coe has a very helpful and positive attitude which majorly contributes to the atmosphere of the class. It’s very easy to stay engaged, and to want to do better because it actually feels rewarding. This semester, has felt like the one instructor who actually cares even a little bit is Dr. Coe.”
“AN ABSOLUTE GOAT.”
“Dr. Coe always opened the lecture up for questions and hosted paper discussions throughout the semester that kept us interacting in the lecture portion of the class. Lab helped me learn the material even more than lecture did.”
“The biggest factor here is Dr. Coes positive, reaffirming attitude. He makes it easy to engage with class and want to learn. Over that, if you get an answer wrong, he doesn’t just put a red x over it and move on, he explains what is wrong about your answer in a gentle way which really does a lot to help.”
Plant-People Interactions:
Ethnobiology in the 21st Century
(Spring semesters) [Syllabus]
Ethnobiology has been described as the science of survival. It is the scientific study of interactions between human societies and the environment. This includes a wide range of interdisciplinary topics often embedded within a numerous natural and social science disciplines (e.g., Ecology, Anthropology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Conservation Biology). The interdisciplinary nature of this course offers various ways to examine and to think critically about the myriad of interactions between humans and the environment. Therefore, this course draws on examples of human-environmental interactions from around the world to give students a brief introduction on the ways in which human societies interact with and rely on the natural world as part of their everyday lives. This course meets two days per week and brings in many of the top interdisciplinary scientists and luminary figures that explore plant-people interactions worldwide to participate as guest lecturers. Several major themes of the course include exploring the importance of ecosystems, non-timber forest products, and the biological and chemical diversity to human societies worldwide. The course method primarily involves a combination of lectures, focused class discussions about scientific papers, regular quizzes and activities to facilitate learn-by-doing strategies. As final capstone project for this course, students participate in research projects where students apply interdisciplinary research methods and basic analyses taught throughout this course in real world contexts to test several major hypotheses linked to natural resource use and selection, sustainable harvest, the loss of botanical knowledge and the effects of globalization on local ecosystem adaptive management strategies used by cultural communities from around the globe. Students also participate in a research symposium to highlight their research methodologies, synthesize data and results, and discuss future directions pertaining to their collaborative research experiences.
Students have commented that this course:
“It's as if the plants themselves orchestrated this group of professors in the creation of this course. Couldn't have asked for a more engaged group of fellow students, either. This course was such a fantastic offering stewarded by the most experienced in the field. The most impressive part to me was that through such diverse areas of expertise, a genuine love of direct experience with the plants as teachers and healers seemed to link each lecturer and student in our class.”
“Well thought out beautifully presented great comprehensive range of content and amazing speakers. So much care was taken to curate this course.”
“AMAZING JOB!!! In such a short time span and with a full class of participants, Dr. Coe went above and beyond to make sure each student understood and heard. He kept us on schedule without leaving anyone behind. He was always quick to respond to emails and super understanding. Dr. Coe was continuously motivating us to do our best without stressing out if we had things still to learn and he showed a lot of interest in getting us in touch with our lecturers and any other mentors, resources, grants, organizations, etc. that might help us in our career development. He was open about his path into the world of ethnobotany and his calling to work with plants and people as a teacher is evident. Keep it up!”
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Whether you're a student, researcher, community partner, or just curious about what we do, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out to learn more about our research, teaching, collaborations, or upcoming projects. Let’s connect and grow something meaningful together.