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University of Colorado Boulder

Designing Effective Science Communication

Although many would prefer to leave science in the past and no longer engage with it once completing compulsory science classes in school, the reality is that engaging with science is an integral part of our daily lives. Moreover, for the safety and wellness of human society, it is necessary to engage with scientific information. We are faced with the necessity of examining scientific evidence on topics ranging from conservation to public health and make decisions that impact not only our families but those around us. However, in spite of decades of science education reform and dedicated efforts to improving science literacy, many members of the general public lack the confidence, skills, or interest in engaging with scientific issues, instead choosing to align their scientific decisions with non-scientific stakeholders, such as political or pop culture figures. These problems are ongoing and destructive. How do we communicate science more effectively with the general public? With other scientists? This course is designed for scientists, science educators, and science communicators who are interested in re-thinking how we communicate science to diverse audiences, particularly to the general public. Topics include evidence-based considerations of human learning as well as effective communication through a variety of modalities, including oral presentations, written forms of communication, technology, and artistic media. The objective of this course is to equip learners with the skills needed to design and implement effective methods of science communication. Learners will be able to identify key principles of human learning that undergird science communication, describe pitfalls in “popular” avenues for science outreach, and apply best practices to science communication in a variety of media.

Status: Oral Expression
Status: Research
BeginnerCourse11 hours

Featured reviews

A

5.0Reviewed Feb 17, 2025

Easy and engaging course. I hope everyone will like it

DP

5.0Reviewed Apr 10, 2023

The course content and activities are valuable and doing the course at my own pace really helped.

EE

5.0Reviewed Jun 20, 2025

Absolutely helpful for communication skills improvement and career growth.

KT

5.0Reviewed Jan 3, 2022

This course covers the necessary topics and activities on scicom. It also helped me change my mindset on how to deliver science to my desired audience.

NS

5.0Reviewed Sep 25, 2024

Very interesting course and easy to understand the flow

GL

5.0Reviewed Jun 5, 2022

I definitely recommend it if you want to do outreach, and to realize that there are several options to communicate science, and it doesn't need to be boring!

RJ

5.0Reviewed Oct 20, 2024

The lessons were very engaging and informative. I learned a lot from this course.

JE

5.0Reviewed Oct 25, 2024

Great way to understand more abaout how to communicate science through art

M

4.0Reviewed Mar 12, 2025

Great course! Although left wanting a little bit, felt it was mainly scratching the surface, but this makes it easy to build on the acquired skills and knowledge.

DV

4.0Reviewed Feb 1, 2025

The content is thoughtfully designed, with several highly useful and surprising elements. However, some technical aspects, such as image resolution and the assignment review system, could be improved.

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