Chevron Left
Back to Designing Effective Science Communication

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Designing Effective Science Communication by University of Colorado Boulder

4.5
stars
27 ratings

About the Course

Although many would prefer to leave science in the past and no longer engage with it once completing compulsory science classes in school, the reality is that engaging with science is an integral part of our daily lives. Moreover, for the safety and wellness of human society, it is necessary to engage with scientific information. We are faced with the necessity of examining scientific evidence on topics ranging from conservation to public health and make decisions that impact not only our families but those around us. However, in spite of decades of science education reform and dedicated efforts to improving science literacy, many members of the general public lack the confidence, skills, or interest in engaging with scientific issues, instead choosing to align their scientific decisions with non-scientific stakeholders, such as political or pop culture figures. These problems are ongoing and destructive. How do we communicate science more effectively with the general public? With other scientists? This course is designed for scientists, science educators, and science communicators who are interested in re-thinking how we communicate science to diverse audiences, particularly to the general public. Topics include evidence-based considerations of human learning as well as effective communication through a variety of modalities, including oral presentations, written forms of communication, technology, and artistic media. The objective of this course is to equip learners with the skills needed to design and implement effective methods of science communication. Learners will be able to identify key principles of human learning that undergird science communication, describe pitfalls in “popular” avenues for science outreach, and apply best practices to science communication in a variety of media....

Top reviews

GL

Jun 4, 2022

I definitely recommend it if you want to do outreach, and to realize that there are several options to communicate science, and it doesn't need to be boring!

KT

Jan 2, 2022

This course covers the necessary topics and activities on scicom. It also helped me change my mindset on how to deliver science to my desired audience.

Filter by:

1 - 10 of 10 Reviews for Designing Effective Science Communication

By Adina

Nov 15, 2021

I think the topic of this course is very interesting and relavant, especially in this day and age. The content is delivered well and in a clear and accessible manner. While I really enjoyed the theoretical aspects of the course, the practical elements could have been explained and illustrated more clearly. Some of the content (e.g., the interviews) were not really that helpful in learning the skills introduced in this course. The interviews should be part of the Extra Materials and the time gained used to offer more input on the practical aspects of Science Communication.

By Livia R M

Nov 15, 2021

I really enjoyed this course and I am very grateful for the oppertunity this has given me. I've learned a lot of ways on how to communicate science accurately and efficiently.

By Kristine G T

Jan 3, 2022

This course covers the necessary topics and activities on scicom. It also helped me change my mindset on how to deliver science to my desired audience.

By Padmapriya M

Dec 10, 2021

Thank you Prof Melanie Peffer for this wonderful course; really appreciate your effort and dedication.

It was totally a new experience. During this COVID pandemic learning effectively from an online course was really a blessing. Special thanks to all the team members. Hope I can continue my journey in the science communication. The TED talks, interview with the science communicators, introducing some of the kids’ magazine , cartoons made this course more interesting. The week 4 “Decoding science: Technology based communication” and week 5 “Creating science: Artistic forms of communication “can be provided as a new course. It is a less explored and promising field of science communication. Once again thank you.

By Ashwini K U

Sep 7, 2021

A great introduction to the field of Science Communication that helped me in understanding the basics of it and enriched my knowledge on how to design media for the general audience to effectively communicate Science.

By Guadalupe L

Jun 5, 2022

I definitely recommend it if you want to do outreach, and to realize that there are several options to communicate science, and it doesn't need to be boring!

By Dr P

Apr 10, 2023

The course content and activities are valuable and doing the course at my own pace really helped.

By Diana I R H

Jul 5, 2022

It was very useful for what I needed.

By Maia

Nov 13, 2022

It was actually way more interesting that what I had anticipated. I really recommend anyone interested in science communication to consider taking this course. The assignments are evaluated by peer reviewers, which makes it a bit longer to achieve your certificate, though.

By Janneke E

Oct 13, 2022

The course covers most of the basics around science communication and the teacher explained all concepts very clearly. However, I feel a lot of examples were centered around the teacher's experience, including multiple promotions of her own book. I also thought the course materials could be extended, for instance with research articles on science communication.