2021 ESA Annual Meeting (August 2 - 6)

WK 9 Telling Stories, Sharing Knowledge, and Seeing the Nature of Things:  Teaching Scientific Communication in Ecology Courses

3:30 PM-5:00 PM
Session Organizer:
Robert Newman, Ph.D.
Moderator:
Bethann Merkle
There is increasing recognition of the need to 1) incorporate science communication skills into core curriculum and 2) broaden audiences to include the general public, especially given that it is often non-scientists who make decisions on environmental policy. Indeed, effective science communication is central to science that benefits society. However, science communication training is seldom included in formal scientific training. When included, it may be limited to communication among peer audiences, i.e. lab reports, peer-reviewed publications, dissertations, and professional presentations.   Ecology courses provide an opportunity to introduce early career ecologists to best practices in science communication, but fitting scicomm into courses is a challenge. To help educators enhance this aspect of their teaching, workshop facilitators who teach science communication in EEB departments will guide participants through goal setting and module/assignment design. Using backwards design, participants will apply best practices for incorporating science communication in their courses. Examples will emphasize stand-alone course modules and/or class exercises that could be easily incorporated into existing courses.  Participants will leave with a draft module focusing on science communication using inclusive science communication coupled with science storytelling, visual communication, and/or talking with the media.  This workshop pairs with the OOS Equity-Focused, Evidence-Based Approaches to Teaching and Assessing SciComm in Higher Education. Workshop instructors are past and current officers of the ESA Communication & Engagement Section.