Science Communication programme academics, Professor Jesse Bering (left) and Professor Lloyd Spencer Davis (right).
Launching an online programme that appeals to a wide cohort of tauira including other academics and working professionals is the vision for the new distance-taught Science Communication programme.
From 2024, the revamped programme is offering two new postgraduate degrees that can be completed over a single semester or in an academic year.
Science Communication programme lead Professor Jesse Bering says the two new degrees build on the success of science communication papers that have previously been taught by distance over the last few years.
“The distance-only papers mean that students can complete the work in a way that suits their own schedules and timetables wherever they are based in the world,” Professor Bering says.
“We believe these two new degrees will be a valuable add-on to other studies, or papers can be taken individually for those who would like a taste of science communication.”
The shift to online learning is the outcome from the disestablishment of the previous Department of Science Communication, and the five postgraduate papers offered from next year retain the core elements of the discipline.
“With storytelling at the core of all science communication, our focus continues to be on creative nonfiction science and natural history writing, but also covers a broad range of practice and applications across multimedia, filmmaking, podcasts, and exhibitions.”
Reaching out to academics across the University, Professor Bering also believes that some exposure to science communication theory and practice could benefit their own disciplines.
“Storytelling is a valuable skill to have when putting together funding applications or for developing strategic public outreach initiatives as part of those documents, or there could be those who need help to shape, for example, a commercially viable popular science book proposal and require assistance for getting it over the line to agents and editors.”
The papers on offer also include a continuing internship paper which can be undertaken with a range of professional partners, or even aligned with an employee’s workplace or student’s home department.
For those interested in the growing demand and influence for online material, the programme is also endorsing a paper led by Department of Marketing Senior Lecturer Dr Wiebke Finkler that focuses on developing visual storytelling using accessible technology such as mobile devices.
Professor Bering and Professor Lloyd Spencer Davis, both high-profile authors and practitioners in science communication, are teaching the programme’s distance papers and have a clear vision for the new online programme.
“It offers a much more streamlined and concentrated version of what we’ve been doing so well for all these years,” Professor Bering says.
“What sets us apart is its very applied and practical nature. It’s a fantastic bespoke programme that will continue to play a valuable role for communicating the critical science of today and the future.”