SCIENCE 7020 - Communicating Science
North Terrace Campus - Winter - 2014
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code SCIENCE 7020 Course Communicating Science Coordinating Unit Sciences General Term Winter Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 5 hours per week Assessment Assignment, 2 presentations & weekly blog posts Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Natalie Williamson
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1 an awareness and understanding of the background, fundamentals and theory of traditional and emerging media and how these relate to the communication of science. 2 the ability to produce reports and written communications suitable for government and policymakers, newspaper articles and online publication. 3 the ability to write a scientific paper suitable for publishing in a refereed journal. 4 oral communication skills from speeches to soundbites. 5 online communication skills from blog posts to viral videos. 6 radio, print and television media management skills. 7 the ability to build and maintain a network of contacts. 8 an appreciation of the scope and diversity of science communication. 9 development of responsible, ethical and respectful attitudes as the field undergoes disruptive change fuelled by rapid technology advancement. University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1-8 The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 2-6 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 1-7 A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 4, 5 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1-9 A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 9 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 9 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
The Little Penguin Handbook (2nd Australasian Edition) (Lester Faigley: Longman; 2012)Recommended Resources
Sharing Knowledge: A Guide to Effective Science Communication (Julian Cribb, Tjempaka Sari Hartomo: CSIRO Publishing; 2002) (Link to e-book from Barr Smith Library available on MyUni)
Writing for Science (3rd ed; Heather Silyn-Roberts: Pearson, 2012) (Available from the Barr Smith Library)
Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps (Margaret Cargill, Patrick O’Connor: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009) (Available from the Barr Smith Library)
Other required/recommended texts will be based on OER (open education resource) principles and will be available for free download online.
Other reading material as provided by lecturers and/or made available on MyUni.Online Learning
It is important that all students maintain active communication channels with the course coordinator and course teaching staff throughout the course. The primary communication channels from staff to students are email and MyUni for course-related announcements, teaching material and additional resources.
The University's online learning management system, MyUni (https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au), will be used to provide students with a variety of learning resources, including (but not limited to) the following:
* Lecture notes
* Assessment information
* Marking rubrics
* Links to other websites that may assist learning, or provide further information
All learning resources will be provided electronically, and no printed copies will be supplied.
MyUni will also be used on a regular basis to post announcements about assessment deadlines and other information related to the course and to send students emails to their University-provided student email account. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
The course consists of 1 x 3 hour morning “lecture” block and 1 x 3 hour afternoon “workshop” block (or equivalent) for most days of the course. The workshops will serve to reinforce the topics covered in lectures. Some free afternoons have been built into the course structure to allow students time to assimilate knowledge and prepare for summative assessment tasks.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
Learning activity Contact time Non-contact time Lectures 3-hour lecture block per day 2 hours preparation per lecture block
(includes preparation for workshops)Workshops 3 hours per day
(or equivalent)Blog posts - Approximately 1 hour per day Writing assignment - Approximately 10 hours spread over
the duration of the coursePresentations - Approximately 10 hours spread over
the duration of the courseTotal hours per week Up to 6 contact hours per day Up to 5 non-contact hours (on
average) per dayLearning Activities Summary
Lecture content:
• Background, fundamentals and theory of traditional media
• Background, fundamentals and theory of emerging media
• Writing skillso Construction, use of appropriate language, editingo Writing styles – formal and informal• Oral communication skills – approaches, techniques, advice
• Online communication and emerging online social media – use in communicating science, approaches to using these techniques
• Radio, print and television media – different approaches for communicating science through different media, advice on how to manage aspects of these media outlets
Several guest workshops will be run by visiting experts in one or more facets of the course objectives to support the lecture material. -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment task Type of assessment Percentage of total assessment
for grading purposesBlog post assignments Summative 50% Oral presentation 1 Summative 5% Oral presentation 2 Summative 15% Writing assignment Summative 30% Assessment Detail
Blog post assignments (50% of the overall course grade)
Students will be required to produce a blog post (no more than 1000 words) approximately every second day during the course, commenting on the day’s lecture content, or an area of science which is of interest to them (or both). The blog post may incorporate video and/or other media content. Students will receive regular online feedback for these blog posts, enabling them to chart their progress and improvement as the course progresses.
Oral presentations (20% of the overall course grade)
Students will be required to make two oral presentations over the duration of the course, enabling them to put into practice the communication skills they have been developing as well as demonstrate proficiency in the various technology and media available in presenting a topic to a live audience, engaging online participants and publishing appropriate records of the event online. The ability of a student to incorporate feedback by peers after delivery of a presentation will be addressed.
Writing assignment (30% of the overall course grade)
The writing assignment (word count approx 2000) will enable students to demonstrate their understanding of and ability to communicate science through the written word through any one of a number of potential outlets; for example, in the form of a text article, blog post or podcast.Submission
Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a supplementary examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Coordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time. The assessment extension application form can be obtained from:
Late submission of assessments
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.
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