Nice to MOOC you – online learning for science communication

Nice to MOOC you – online learning for science communication

Author: Lisa Bailey – Flinders University, Australia

Co-author: Peter Tangney – Flinders University

Do you know what online courses would appeal to students to enhance their science communication? Are you aware of current offerings that are doing a great job? Do you MOOC? If you answered yes to any of these questions – I want to speak with you!

Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have exploded in popularity over the last decade. There are many examples of communication skills courses on offer from institutions across the globe, and some fantastic examples of courses on critical thinking and the history and philosophy of science. I am a Lecturer in Science Communication at Flinders University. My colleagues and I are developing an online resource that brings together practical skills of critical reasoning and the philosophy of science, using examples from contemporary scientific and social scientific research. We seek to deliver a science communication resource that we hope will resonate with a wide range of university students, and not just those studying science.

We believe that the critical reasoning skills needed to do good science, and to use scientific evidence effectively in practice, are many of the same skills either demonstrated by, or explained through, social science disciplines such as law, psychology, political studies, and even, the humanities. We are trying to develop MOOC content that uses this cross-disciplinary knowledge in a way that can engage students of all academic disciplines to better understand what science is, why it’s valuable and how it can be effectively communicated and used.

In this ‘idea in progress’ update, I’ll share our approach to creating these resources and seek feedback from PCST attendees.

*I would be happy to fold this proposal into and chair a roundtable discussion and/or grouped paper session if there are other compatible submissions.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Idea in progress
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Teaching science communication