This study measures the effects of increased faculty–student engagement on student learning, success rates, and perceptions in a Physical Oceanography course. The study separately implemented two teaching methods that had been shown to be successful in a different discipline, introductory physics. These methods were the use of interactive engagement (IE) lectures and the use of the Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment for Undergraduate Programs (SCALEUP) model. These two methods provide different levels of faculty–student engagement, and the results of this study show that both methods have positive effects.