In this article, we review the literature about theme-based teaching, then report quantitative and qualitative results from surveys from three different courses: one section of a100-level in-person art course; five sections of 300-level on-line art courses; and one section of a 100-level in-person biology course at SUNY Delhi with applied themes (“food,” “healthcare,” and “beer” respectively) in teaching and learning. Our results indicate that embedding themes across an entire course can be a successful way to improve student perceptions of their learning and comfort with learning about new subjects. These data expand current gaps in the literature with respect to the measured benefits for students of adopting themes in college teaching and learning. They will be useful to teachers considering the use of themes in their courses and to anyone looking for a way to help students relate to the disciplines in their courses.

Dispersal is a critical stage in the life cycle of plants, allowing for movement to new areas and the finding of suitable habitat. Propagules can disperse via wind, water, animals, and botanical mechanisms. Acer saccharum is not known as a water‐dispersed species, but an observation of a floating fruit led to the question of whether its seeds can survive inundation. To assess this possibility, fruits were soaked in stream water for 0–28 d and stratified for germination. Flow rate data were collected from waterways in the vicinity of the observed floating fruit. Seeds successfully germinated if soaked in stream water for 0–7 d, and over 40% of inundated seeds floated. Based on flow rates, seeds of A. saccharum can potentially disperse for at least 250 km via flowing water. With north‐flowing rivers at the current northern range limit for A. saccharum, water dispersal represents an important opportunity for range shift in the face of climate change. South‐flowing rivers offer the opportunity for gene flow and seeking available habitat. New questions relate to identifying other species with undocumented capacity for water dispersal, and how such water dispersal will affect community reassembly linked to range shifts resulting from climate change.