• Offered by Centre for the Public Awareness of Science
  • ANU College ANU Joint Colleges of Science
  • Course subject Science Communication
  • Areas of interest Chemistry
  • Work Integrated Learning Projects
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Course convener
    • Dr Graham Walker
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Co-taught Course
  • Offered in Winter Session 2023
    See Future Offerings
  • STEM Course

The intensive component of this course will be delivered 3-7 Jul.

This course is about creating your own original science communication passion project! Using design thinking and inspiration from diverse guest presenters, you’ll come up with a novel program idea, pilot it, and report on your pilot. Lectures and interactive workshops will share approaches to help you get creative, find your purpose, create effective partnerships, and manage and evaluate your project. It represents an authentic opportunity to develop real-world skills that allow your ideas to become realities.


Science communication, engagement and outreach programs employ a range of methods to connect with audiences, create impact and communicate science. From capacity building programs in low- and middle-income countries to science puppet shows for early learners, science communicators employ different methods, often to better engage with underserviced audiences, create impact and social change, and explore topics in more intriguing ways. As part of this, they need to be skilled at conceiving ideas, logistics and program planning, ‘selling’ their ideas and securing funding, running events and evaluating their success. As you’ll discover in your future science communication or other careers, if you want to pursue your passions, your goals and your ideas, skills to develop them and just as importantly get them funded are critical. Many past students’ ideas have turned into funded, real-world, ongoing projects that have had national and global impacts, so don’t underestimate what you might achieve if you make the most of it! If you choose, this can be so much more than just another assignment.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. Critically appraise different formats for communicating science;
  2. Examine the process of conceiving, developing, delivering and evaluating science communication programs;
  3. Apply this process to create novel science communication programs;
  4. Analyse and reflect on science communication programs, including conveying this via written formats.

Work Integrated Learning

Projects

All students engage with WIL partners (internal/external) as a major component of the course

Indicative Assessment

  1. Concept brief (10) [LO 1,3]
  2. Polished Program Plan (35) [LO 1,2,3]
  3. Program Pilot Report (55) [LO 4]

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the session including:

  • Face-to face 5 day intensive component in July plus optional one-on-one meetings during semester.
  • Approximately 90 hours of self-directed study which will include preparation for the face to face component, project planning and delivery, and other assessment tasks.

Inherent Requirements

No specific inherent requirements have been identified for this course.

Requisite and Incompatibility

This course is incompatible with SCOM8007 and SCOM6007.

Prescribed Texts

N/A

Assumed Knowledge

12 units of 2000 level SCOM courses, and/or experience conducting science communication/outreach/engagement projects, or public science programs/events

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees

Student Contribution Band:
2
Unit value:
6 units

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2023 $4320
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2023 $6180
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Winter Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
4285 03 Jul 2023 03 Jul 2023 21 Jul 2023 05 Oct 2023 In Person View

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