Name: Science Communication and Public Engagement
Rating: 4.625 (32 reviews)

Define your message and share your findings through social and traditional media

Please note this course runs without facilitation

Good science communication ensures the public engage with and understand relevant scientific research. On this course, you will learn how best to share your science findings with your intended audience.

You’ll explore how the relationship between society and science has evolved over time, and find out how traditional and social media can be used to share research. You’ll learn to identify your target audience and define your message to build a shareable story.

You’ll also discover guidelines for working with journalists, and how to host small events to share information with the public.

Syllabus

Week 1
Introduction to science communication and public engagement
- Welcome to the course
  In this activity we introduce the people that collaborated to the creation of this course, our learning objectives and the course structure
- Why science communication?
  In this activity we briefly discuss some reasons why science communication is important, and we give a brief introduction of the relationship between science and society
- Let's get started: goal and audience
  In this activity we start discussing more practical aspects of science communication, starting with two crucial question: what is your goal? Who do you want to talk with?
Week 2
Finding your message and delivering it
- Creating your message
  In this activity we'll continue from where we left off last week: once the audience and goals are clear, we can start defining a message that it's relevant for them and aligned with your communication objectives
- Delivering your message
  Once your audience, goal and message - and maybe your story - are defined, it's time to move to the next topic: how can you deliver this message?
Week 3
Communicating through journalists and institutional initiatives
- Journalism and science
  In this week we'll discuss about the relationship between journalism and science, focusing on some tips on how to relate with them
- Institutional aspects of science communication
  In this activity we discuss aspects of science communication more linked with academia and institutional activities, such as roles of a scientific culture unit and the relationship between research institutions and stakeholders
- Conclusion and goodbyes
  With this activity we come to the conclusion of the course. After recapping the content of the last three weeks, we will ask for your opinion and leave you with a list of resources on science communication

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Design small-scale public science communication events
Reflect on the role of traditional and social media in the communication of science
Improve your science communication activities by clearly identifying the target audiences, messages and stories

Who is the course for?

The course is designed for scientists and researchers who wish to communicate the results and theory of their field(s) of study to the public.

This includes graduate and postgraduate students, academic staff of all career levels, and scientists not working in academia.

The Educators won’t be able to join the discussions themselves or respond to individual comments, but the course encourages a strong learning community. The learning is focused around debate and discussion – supporting other learners, sharing your own experience and knowledge, and listening to new perspectives. We hope that you will enjoy interacting with and learning from each other in this way. Don’t forget to comment, reply to other learners and ‘like’ comments.

Who will you learn with?

Alessandro Cicerale

I am a research fellow and lecturer at the University of Torino, Italy. My research activities include neuroimaging of eating disorders and neurostimulation with therapeutic and rehabilitative goals.

Katiuscia Sacco

Associate Professor in General Psychology, Psychobiology and Psychometry and Coordinator
of the Research Group "Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity" at the University of Torino, Italy

Who developed the course?

EIT Food

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

University of Turin

The University of Turin is one of the largest and most prestigious Italian universities, with about 70,000 students, 4,000 employees, and 1,800 research fellows, encompassing all academic sectors.

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) is a Life Sciences specialised academic institution.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial skills in Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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