Communicating science effectively : oral presentations and writing skills

Teacher(s)

Andres Michael; Goffaux Valérie;

Language

English

Main themes

The course uses the different formats of scientific communication in order to develop the skills necessary for effective communication.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	The course emphasizes the acquisition of skills rather than formal knoledge. The student will learn to adapt to the audience, to strucure their communication around a message, to master the rules and formats of scientifcs communication, with a critical mind.

Content

The course uses the different formats of scientific communication in order to develop the skills necessary for effective communication. The course emphasizes the acquisition of skills rather than formal knowledge. The student will learn to adapt to the audience, to structure their communication around a message, to master the rules and formats of scientific communication, with a critical mind. The teaching is in English but the students may ask questions in French or English and their work can be in French or English, according to their preference.

Teaching methods

The course is based on regular exercise, different levels of interaction between students (collaboration, autonomy, confrontation), and a gradual learning through four main tasks: (1) participation in a journal club (oral presentation of a scientific paper), (2) the design a poster (visual presentation of a research), (3) the writing of a scientific article and (4) the review of another student's article. The course requires the student to attend weekly sessions where teachers provide basic knowledge, supervise the work and organize the exchanges (learning outcomes : C1 & C2, F1, F2). Teaching will be delivered via a classroom setting but could be carried out remotely (via Teams) should the health situation require to do so.

Evaluation methods

The evaluation focuses on the following assignments that will be done successively during the quadrimester : (1) the production of an oral communication (poster presentation), (2) the writing of a scientific article (written work), (3) the review of an article written by a peer (written work). The evaluation of these three assignments contributes equally to the final grade. Attendance is required and successful completion of the course requires the student to complete all three assignments described above. The completion of these assignments is essential to demonstrate the skills and knowledge defined in the learning outcomes of the course. The assessment procedures are the same in the first and second sessions. In the second session, the student presents only the assignment(s) that he/she failed in the first session. In accordance with article 72 of the General Regulations for Studies and Examinations, the co-titulars may propose to the jury, during the June or September session, that it opposes the registration of a student who has not submitted all the assignments described above, within the required time limit, or who has not attended at least 80% of classes for this course.

Other information

The course is open to all Master or PhD students. Some tasks (poster, article) imply that the student has personally conducted or at least initiated a research project in the context of other courses, their stage or mémoire.

Online resources

The course material includes slides and examples of presentations and manuscripts available via Moodle. Teams is also used to exchange information with students.

Bibliography

Il n'est pas nécessaire d'acquérir ces ouvrages / It is not necessary to buy these references :
Davis, M., Davis, J.K., & Dunagan, M. (2012). Scientific papers and presentations (3rd Edition). San Diego : Academic Press.
Doumont, J-L. (2009). Trees, maps and theorems : effective communication for rational minds. Brussels : Principiae.
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the APA (7th ed.). Washington DC : American Psychological Association.

Faculty or entity

EPSY