The hemipteran suborder Heteroptera ( >43,000 described species) includes economically important pests and beneficial insects as well as medically important groups and nuisance pests. While the heteropteran community has made great strides in biodiversity research including taxonomy and phylogenetics during the past decades, the number of experts holding positions at research university that can train future generations of heteropterists has dwindled dramatically in recent years. While short courses cannot replace this shortage of training opportunities, it can help to mitigate this situation. Starting as an Organization of Tropical Studies short course held in 2010 in Costa Rica, National Science Foundation funding has facilitated three additional heteropteran biodiversity courses so far, reaching more than 60 participants. Held at the National University of Singapore or the University of California, the course has been led by a changing team of coordinators and instructors. The course balances lectures and lab activities with fieldwork. The curriculum has been developing to focus on active learning approaches and accommodate a wide range of backgrounds and levels of expertise.
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