Communicating Science Class Schedule |
Date |
Lecture |
Activities |
Homework |
Class 1 |
Introduction – Course overview; What is effective communication? What are unique aspects of communicating science? Discussion of the capstone project |
Icebreakers: Improvisation exercises |
Prepare a 3 minute oral presentation about your research
(Due date: Class 2) |
Class 2 |
Communicating your science (short lecture) |
3 minute oral presentations by all students (videotaped) |
Write a lay abstract about your research – 250 words
(Due date: Class 3) |
Class 3 |
Scientific storytelling |
Picture exercise for telling a scientific story |
Turn your 3 min oral presentation into a 30 second elevator pitch about your research
(Due date: Class 4) |
Class 4 |
Distilling your message; Knowing your audience |
Feedback on your abstract; Give your elevator pitch to a classmate |
Write a short description of a plan for your capstone project; rewrite your abstract
(Due date: Class 5) |
Class 5 |
Building confidence in public speaking; Voice, presence, body language; Amy Cuddy TED talk on presence, body language, etc. |
Improvisation methods relevant to lecture content |
Write a 500 word Introduction about your research and select a figure of data (print and digital versions)
(Due date: Class 6) |
Class 6
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Scientific papers; How to structure a written story |
Answer questions to sections of a paper |
Prepare a deck of power point slides that you would use for a 10 min talk based on your abstract for peer editing
(Due date: Class 7) |
Class 7 |
Visualizing science; How to communicate visually with slides |
Peer editing of slides; Review capstone projects |
Revise your slides and work on capstone projects(Due date: Class 8) |
Class 8 |
Speech giving skills |
Speaking exercises |
Practice your 3 min talk and work on capstone projects.
(Due date: Class 9) |
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Spring Break – No class |
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Class 9 |
Effective teaching; Lecture objectives, slides, team based learning, flipped classroom; writing exam questions |
Flipped classroom |
Write 4 or 5 lesson objectives for a lecture on the background for your research or prepare a flipped classroom exercise and how you would assess if they learned it.
(Due date: Class 10) |
Class 10 |
Media: how to write press releases, handle media interviews and write opinion pieces. |
Persuasive written and oral communication |
Write a press release or op/ed piece about a controversial scientific topic
(Due date: Class 11) |
Class 11 |
Communication skills to influence and persuade |
Exercises relevant to lecture content |
Practice a 1 minute talk either asking a venture capital company to invest in your start up or advocating for a policy on your controversial topic to a mock congressional hearing
Select and bring a full size poster from a previous scientific meeting or bring the electronic file
(Due date: Class 12) |
Class 12 |
Scientific posters |
Critique each other’s old posters |
Print out and review your abstract and introduction about your research and resume (if you have one) for a mock job interview
Revise the poster on your research based on feedback from critiques
(Due date: Class 13) |
Class 13 |
Interviewing for a job |
Mock job interviews; Dress rehearsals for final 3 minute research talks |
Prepare an oral presentation about your capstone project
(Due date: Class 14) |
Class 14 |
Presentation of capstone project summaries |
Professionals and faculty evaluate capstone project summaries |
Practice your final oral presentation
(Due date: Class 15) |
Class 15 |
Graduation videotaping and viewing |
View videotapes for critiques and feedback |
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