Petzold Andrew M, Dunbar Robert L
Center for Learning Innovation, University of Minnesota Rochester , Rochester, Minnesota.
Adv Physiol Educ. 2018 Jun 1;42(2):225-231. doi: 10.1152/advan.00053.2017.
The ability to clearly disseminate scientific knowledge is a skill that is necessary for any undergraduate student within the sciences. Traditionally, this is accomplished through the instruction of scientific presentation or writing with a focus on peer-to-peer communication at the expense of teaching communication aimed at a nonscientific audience. One of the ramifications of focusing on peer-to-peer communication has presented itself as an apprehension toward scientific knowledge within the general populace. This apprehension can be seen in a variety of venues, including the traditional media, popular culture, and education, which generally paint scientists as aloof and with an inability to discuss scientific issues to anyone other than other scientists. This paper describes a curriculum designed to teach Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology students the tools necessary for communicating complex concepts that were covered during the semester using approachable language. Students were assessed on their word usage in associated writing activities, the student's ability to reduce complexity of their statements, and performance in an informal scientific presentation to a lay audience. Results showed that this pedagogical approach has increased students' ability to reduce the complexity of their language in both a written and oral format. This, in turn, led to evaluators reporting greater levels of understanding of the topic presented following the presentation.
清晰传播科学知识的能力是任何理科本科生都必备的一项技能。传统上，这是通过科学展示或写作教学来实现的，其重点是同行之间的交流，而忽视了针对非科学受众的交流教学。专注于同行间交流的一个后果是，公众对科学知识产生了一种担忧。这种担忧在各种场合都能看到，包括传统媒体、流行文化和教育领域，这些领域通常将科学家描绘成冷漠的形象，认为他们除了与其他科学家外，无法与任何人讨论科学问题。本文描述了一门课程，该课程旨在教授解剖学与生理学入门课程的学生，使用通俗易懂的语言来传达本学期所学复杂概念所需的工具。通过相关写作活动中的用词、学生简化陈述的能力以及在面向普通受众的非正式科学展示中的表现对学生进行评估。结果表明，这种教学方法提高了学生在书面和口头形式中简化语言复杂性的能力。反过来，这使得评估者在展示后报告对所呈现主题的理解程度更高。
