Science Communication Course

Lesson 1 • Ethical Responsibilities of Communicators

Covers honesty, transparency, and avoiding sensationalism. Establishes an ethical framework students apply when crafting messages.

Lesson 2 • What Science Communication Is

Defines science communication and distinguishes it from science journalism and education. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Core Principles of Effective Communication

Introduces accuracy, clarity, relevance, and engagement as the four pillars of science communication. Provides evaluative criteria applied in every subsequent chapter.

Lesson 1 • Audience Research Methods

Covers surveys, focus groups, and social listening as tools for gathering audience data. Equips students to conduct pre-communication research before any project.

Lesson 2 • Mental Models and Prior Knowledge

Explains how existing beliefs shape how audiences receive new scientific information. Teaches strategies to bridge gaps between expert and lay understanding.

Lesson 3 • Audience Analysis Fundamentals

Introduces demographic, psychographic, and knowledge-level variables for audience segmentation. Connects audience insight to message relevance established in Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Editing and Refining Science Stories

Covers self-editing techniques for clarity, pacing, and accuracy in narrative science writing. Prepares students to produce polished drafts ready for publication or presentation.

Lesson 2 • Crafting a Compelling Narrative Arc

Guides students through drafting, structuring, and refining a complete science story. Integrates audience analysis from Chapter 2 with storytelling principles.

Lesson 3 • Why Stories Work in Science

Explains the cognitive and emotional mechanisms that make narrative more persuasive than data alone. Motivates the storytelling approach used throughout the chapter.

Lesson 4 • Story Structure and Frameworks

Introduces classic narrative arcs and science-specific structures such as the hero's journey and problem-solution formats. Provides templates students adapt for their own content.

Lesson 1 • Explaining Complex Concepts

Teaches layered explanation techniques including analogies, examples, and chunking. Builds on mental model strategies introduced in Chapter 2.

Lesson 2 • Writing for Different Formats

Covers structural and stylistic differences among press releases, blog posts, op-eds, and reports. Equips students to adapt the same core content to multiple written channels.

Lesson 3 • Communicating Numbers and Uncertainty

Addresses how to present statistics, risk, and scientific uncertainty without misleading readers. Extends the ethical framework from Chapter 1 into practical writing decisions.

Lesson 4 • Plain Language Principles

Introduces plain language guidelines for translating technical content into accessible prose. Directly applies the clarity principle from Chapter 1 to written output.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating and Critiquing Visuals

Develops critical evaluation skills for assessing accuracy, clarity, and ethical integrity of science visuals. Prepares students to audit their own and others' visual content.

Lesson 2 • Data Visualization Fundamentals

Teaches chart selection, axis labelling, and avoiding misleading visual representations. Connects to the accuracy and ethics principles from Chapters 1 and 4.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Visual Design

Covers hierarchy, contrast, alignment, and colour theory as applied to science visuals. Establishes design literacy needed for all subsequent visual work.

Lesson 4 • Infographic Design for Science

Guides students through planning and producing science infographics for public audiences. Integrates storytelling structure from Chapter 3 into visual formats.

Lesson 1 • Structuring a Science Talk

Guides students in organising a talk with a clear opening, logical body, and memorable close. Applies narrative arc principles from Chapter 3 to spoken delivery.

Lesson 2 • Verbal and Nonverbal Delivery Skills

Covers voice modulation, pacing, eye contact, and body language for effective science talks. Addresses common delivery habits that undermine credibility.

Lesson 3 • Handling Questions and Uncertainty

Prepares students to respond to challenging, hostile, or off-topic audience questions with confidence. Extends the ethics of communicating uncertainty from Chapter 4 to live settings.

Lesson 4 • Presentation Design Principles

Applies visual design principles from Chapter 5 to slide-based presentations. Teaches slide economy, visual consistency, and avoiding cognitive overload.

Lesson 1 • Community Building and Engagement

Teaches strategies for fostering dialogue, responding to comments, and building loyal science audiences online. Moves beyond broadcasting to two-way engagement.

Lesson 2 • Science Video and Podcast Production

Introduces scripting, recording, and editing fundamentals for short science videos and audio content. Extends verbal delivery skills from Chapter 6 to recorded media.

Lesson 3 • Writing for Social Media Platforms

Covers format, tone, and character constraints for major social platforms used in science outreach. Applies plain language and storytelling skills from Chapters 3 and 4.

Lesson 4 • Analytics and Iterative Improvement

Covers key digital metrics and how to use data to refine content strategy over time. Closes the feedback loop between audience research from Chapter 2 and digital output.

Lesson 1 • Message Development and Framing

Applies framing theory to develop core messages that resonate with target audiences across all campaign channels. Builds on audience analysis and storytelling from Chapters 2 and 3.

Lesson 2 • Multi-Channel Content Production

Guides students in producing coordinated written, visual, and digital content for a single campaign. Synthesizes writing, visual, and digital skills from Chapters 4 through 7.

Lesson 3 • Evaluation and Impact Measurement

Covers quantitative and qualitative methods for evaluating campaign effectiveness against stated goals. Teaches students to report results and recommend improvements.

Lesson 4 • Ethical and Equity Considerations in Campaigns

Examines how power, representation, and access shape campaign design and impact. Extends the ethical framework from Chapter 1 to strategic-level decisions.