Science Communication
| Module title | Science Communication |
|---|---|
| Module code | NEU3028 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Craig Beall (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
Communicating complex science, including neuroscience/biomedical science, to a diverse range of people is an important skillset across a number of different sectors. This includes academia, industry, governmental and non-governmental organisations. This highly interactive module aims to develop your knowledge of and skills around communicating complex topics to a range of audiences.
This module is delivered by experienced communicators involved in or engaged with academic research, industry and policy. Using biomedical science and neuroscience as its core, this optional module will be of interest to final year students studying BSc Neuroscience and Medical Sciences with an interest in communicating complex information to a broad audience.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module seeks to develop your ability to communicate and critically evaluate the effectiveness of science communication. Throughout this module, you will learn advanced techniques to clearly and concisely communicate complex topics to a variety of audiences from the general public to scientific specialist and corporate analyst.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate competence in and/or understanding of key research techniques.
- 2. Apply skills of critical thinking and rigorous data analysis to effectively communicate complex topics with precision
- 3. Show detailed knowledge of essential facts and theory in a research discipline related to biomedical science
- 4. Describe and critically evaluate aspects of current research with reference to peer-reviewed literature.
- 5. Critically evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of science communications in writing and orally
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Demonstrate professional competence in communicating effectively with research staff, other professionals and stakeholders
- 7. Demonstrate the ability to paraphrase complex topics to a variety of audiences from lay, business and scientific specialist
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Communicate information clearly orally with audio-visual aids appropriate for your target audience
- 9. Communicate information clearly in writing appropriate for your target audience
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, the following information gives a detailed description of the typical overall structure:
Lectures will be delivered live, in-person. Interactive facilitated workshops will take place live each week, in-person or online via a streaming platform e.g., Microsoft Teams.
The module begins with an introductory lecture in week 1, giving key information about lectures and the interactive facilitated workshops. This will include key assessment information and engagement expectations.
Over the following 10 weeks, there will be one lecture per week. The interactive facilitated workshops will cover several different science communication topics. These 2 hr sessions will be highly interactive, involving small group work and presenting/communicating to the whole group.
Lectures and interactive facilitated workshops may cover the following topics:
- Communicating science to the general public
- Academic publishing
- Science and society
- Science in the media
- Science and policy
- Citizen Science
In the final week, we will have a module wrap.
This module is focused on reading, writing and talking about science and science communication. You will be encouraged to discuss topics and present ideas during the live sessions each week to help develop advanced communications skills. Attendance and participation during at the live sessions will contribute to an engagement score, with 70% attendance required to pass the module. The module will also be assessed through coursework assignments throughout the module, worth 60% and an oral presentation worth 40%.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 117 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 1 | Introductory lecture |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 20 | Interactive science communication workshops/activities (10 x 2 hr) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 2 | Wrap lecture and assessment Q&A |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 10 | Lectures (10 x 1hr) |
| Guided independent study | 80 | Module-related work including literature research, preparation for workshop activities, other guided independent study. |
| Guided independent study | 10 | Preparation for explainer article assignment |
| Guided independent study | 2 | Preparation for formative oral presentation assignment |
| Guided independent study | 10 | Preparation for animated narrated video assignment |
| Guided independent study | 15 | Preparation for summative oral presentation assignment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 2 minutes | 1-8 | Oral |
| Explainer article | 300 words | 1-9 | Peer feedback; In writing and/or verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 0 | 40 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explainer Article | 30 | 750 words | 1-8 | Written and/or verbal |
| Video (2 min) | 30 | 2 mins | 1-8 | Written and/or verbal |
| 1x Oral presentation (10min) + Q&As (up to 5 min) | 40 | 15 mins | 1-8 | Written and/or verbal |
| Engagement | 0 | 70% attendance at in person sessions to pass | N/A | N/A |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explainer Article (30%; 800 words) | Explainer article | 1-8 | By end of ref/def period |
| Video (30%; 2 min) | Pre-recorded narrated animated video | 1-8 | By end of ref/def period |
| 1x Oral presentation (10min) (40%) | Submission of pre-recorded narrated PowerPoint presentation | 1-8 | By end of ref/def period |
| Engagement (0%) | 750 word explainer article | 1-8 | By end of ref/def period |
Re-assessment notes
Please refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Writing for Science Students (Boyle and Ramsay)
- Success in academic writing (Day, 2018)
Project-specific reading:
This will vary each year, check the ELE page for the most up-to-date reading resources
- Murdick H., (2022) How scientists can inform policy decisions. Nature, 611, p205
- Atkinson P., et al (2022) How did UK policymaking in the COVID-19 response use science? Evidence from Scientific Advisors. Evidence and Policy., V18(4), p633-650
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | NEU1006 Introduction to Neuroscience |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 10/01/2023 |
| Last revision date | 29/02/2024 |
