DEVELOPING AS A SCIENTIST: EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING SCIENCE IN MODERN SOCIETY - 2020/1

Module Overview

The communication of science to scientists and to the lay public is critical component of “being a scientist”.  In this module students will undertake a programme of training and development activities in communicating science effectively to different audiences and for different purposes. 

The communications methods investigated may include:

• Academic journals


• Industrial news outlets and “trade” journals


• Press releases


• Blogs


• Impact & lay statements


• Webinars


• Podcasts


• Social Media


• Oral presentations

Module provider

School of Biosciences and Medicine

Module Leader

THUMSER Alfred (Biosc & Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content may include:

• Overview and discussion of different types of science communication, e.g. academic journals, industrial news outlets and “trade” journals, press releases, blogs, impact & lay statements, webinars, podcasts, social media;

• Advice on how to write and produce a blog, as well as responding to feedback and comments;


• Student seminars;

• Discussion of and advice on peer feedback and developmental reflection.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate individual and team-based communication skills





Programme learning outcome area


MSci Biochemistry Programme learning outcomes met in this module




Knowledge and Understanding


3




Intellectual and cognitive skills


2




Professional practical skills


4, 5




Key/transferrable skills


1, 2, 3, 4





Formative assessment

Formative feedback provided on initial blog posts

Feedback

In class discussion and feedback, and online engagement with feedback, e.g. posted blogs.

Module aims

• Expose students to a wide range of communications methods which are vital to communicating science to different stakeholders.
• Engage students in producing media to meet the requirements of different communications media.
• Provide a structured framework to enable the student to engage in professional development in communications and to support completion of the research project.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide a learning environment where students work together to investigate, evaluate and analyse different communications methods and individually produce communications targeted at different audiences.

• Presentations of different communication methods, including discussions;


• Development and peer review of a blog (latter targeted at a scientifically-knowledgable lay audience)


• Seminar (targeted at scientific public)


• Review of dissertation topic, including Abstract (2019/20) or Overview of Scientific Communication (2020/21 onwards)

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: BMSM021

Other information

N/A

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.