| Unit name | Science Communication Project |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOLM0046 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Steve Simpson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Communicating Data Global Change Biology Ecology for a Brighter Future Animal Behaviour Science in Society Resilient Communicator |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
This compulsory final unit in the MSc Science Communication for a Better Planet programme, is where you will undertake a bespoke project that matches to your interests, motivations and career aspirations. Your project could take the form of an in-house Research Project or Dissertation, be set up as an external Internship or Placement, or even be undertaken as an Expedition. The unit will provide a gateway from your postgraduate study towards your subsequent career. You will be able to put into practice all the skills and knowledge you have gained throughout the programme, and start to establish your reputation as a valued and effective science communicator.
The Science Communication Project runs through the summer, starting with a Project Planning Phase in May where you will receive training and support to build a Background Research document that explains the rationale for the type of project, target audience, methods of communication and ways you will measure your success. These documents are commonplace in the filmmaking, media, governance and charity sectors. You will also give a Pitch to Commissioners, where you will gain feedback and support for your endeavours prior to embarking on the project for real. You will then have June-August to undertake your project, during which time you will have regular meetings with mentors and academic staff. At the end of this period, you will submit a Reflective Report on your experiences and we will reconvene for a day of Project Presentations, where you will celebrate your successes ahead of leaving the programme to embark on your career in science communication, skilled and motivated to stimulate proactive responses to the climate and biodiversity crises.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Across the initial six taught units, you will have gained a range of skills and experiences that support you to be an effective, rigorous, creative, empathetic, focussed, imaginative, inclusive, resilient science communicator. This final Science Communication Project unit will give you the chance to combine all these attributes and deliver an exciting project tailored to your future career aspirations.
Following the final Science Communication Project, you will leave the programme with a sense of achievement and readiness for a career, having operated in a professional environment. You will have a unique and broad portfolio showcasing your ability for producing a wide range of science communication outputs. This final unit provides the gateway from student life to a career in science communication, enabling you to deliver your training across society to build towards a better planet.
An overview of content
This unit is divided into three sections, which each provide training in different skills for science communication:
During Teaching Block 2, you will work with academic staff to identify a project that best matches to your interests, motivations and career aspirations. You will be supported to build the necessary connections with your hosts, collaborators and teammates (depending on project type), and also to complete any necessary risk assessments and ethical reviews. The Science Communication Project runs through the summer, starting with a Project Planning Phase in May. You will receive training and support to produce a Background Research document for your project that explains the rationale for the decisions you have made, and will give a Pitch to Commissioners (including market, niche, rationale, methods, audience and measurements of success), explaining your target audience and logistical considerations of your project. You will then have June-August to undertake your project, during which time you will have regular meetings with mentors and academic staff. At the end of this period, you will submit a reflective report examining your experiences of working in the workplace, sector and subject area that you have chosen. Finally, at the end of the summer, we will all convene for an end of year celebration, where you will give a Project Presentation on the outcomes of your project.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
At the end of this unit, which is the end of the programme, you will have had a chance to integrate all the skills and knowledge you have developed through the year, and delivered a unique, marketable, valuable project that demonstrates your ability and aptitude to design and deliver science communication that is rigorous, informative, empathetic, responsive to your audience, and promotes wellbeing and resilience in those that engage. You will feel confident in how you can adapt your skills to different situations, how you can tailor your communication approaches to different groups within society, and how you can communicate even the most complex or emotionally challenging science in ways that build hope and motivate personal and societal actions that build towards a better planet.
Learning Outcomes
In this final unit, you will continue to hone your skills in a professional context, helping you to optimise your performance as an effective science communicator:
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
During the Project Planning Phase, you will receive training in how to prepare a Research Document that can withstand scrutiny and that defends decisions you will make based on current scientific knowledge and previous experiences. You will also give a mock presentation ahead of your Pitch to Commissioners, with peer-to-peer feedback helping you to improve your content and delivery. During the Science in Society and Resilient Communicator units, you will have received training in how to write reflective reports on science communication activities, receiving verbal and written feedback that you can apply to the Reflective Report in this unit. Your final Project Presentation at the end of the summer will be improved by reflecting on your experiences of giving presentations in this and previous units.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
This unit is assessed through four universally consistent assignments, irrespective of the type of project you choose to undertake, which each contribute 25% to your final grade for this unit:
During the Project Planning Phase, you will prepare and submit a Background Research document for your project, explaining the rationale for the decisions you have made for determining the scientific knowledge base, target audience, method(s) of communication and measures of success. (25% - marked by project supervisors according to standard rubric.)
You will also give an oral Pitch to Commissioners presentation (including market, niche, rationale, methods, audience and measurements of success). (25%% - marked by ‘Commissioners’, consisting of 2+ academics.)
At the end of the Project Delivery Phase, you will submit a Reflective Report on your experiences during the project, including achievements, challenges and solutions, and lessons for the future. (25% - marked by a single assessor to ensure consistency.)
At the end of the summer you will give a final Project Presentation on your project. You will receive written feedback for all four of these assessments. (25% - marked by two assessors attending the presentations.)
When assessment does not go to plan
The summative assessments within this unit are all individual assignments, so if you are unable to submit due to exceptional circumstances or pass at the first attempt, you may be allowed to work (with a new topic if necessary) and resubmit with an agreed revised deadline.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BIOLM0046).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
