Combatting Misinformation through Science Communication Training

As the dual crises of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and worsening climate change show, the public must be accurately informed about science. However, many barriers hinder effective messaging about science to the public, including little formal communication training for scientists and an abundance o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American biology teacher Vol. 84; no. 7; pp. 390 - 395
Main Authors Osterhage, Jennifer L, Rogers-Carpenter, Katherine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published University of California Press 01.09.2022
Subjects
Biology
Communication Skills
Misconceptions
Science Curriculum
Science Education
Skill Development
Training
Undergraduate Study
Kentucky
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Summary:As the dual crises of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and worsening climate change show, the public must be accurately informed about science. However, many barriers hinder effective messaging about science to the public, including little formal communication training for scientists and an abundance of misleading information from nonscientific sources. Being able to communicate with the public is a vital skill that should be a formal component of scientific training. Here, we synthesize the rationale for incorporating public science communication into undergraduate biology programs and provide specific examples of curriculum efforts to improve undergraduates' skills in this area. We review the literature about the importance of communicating scientific concepts to the public and previous efforts to integrate communication into biology curricula. Next, we provide examples of two courses aimed at developing public science communication skills and describe their integration into an undergraduate biology curriculum. We conclude with future directions and recommendations.
ISSN:0002-7685
DOI:10.1525/abt.2022.84.7.390