Evaluating podcasts as a science communication assessment for postgraduate students

Abstract

Communication to the lay audience is a critical skill in academia. To equip students with this skill, we developed a new workshop and assessment. Postgraduate students attended a 1.5-hour workshop taught by a communication expert to develop communication skills and deliver engaging presentations. They were then asked to develop a 10-minute podcast to present their research dissertation (including background, aims, methods, analysis, preliminary findings, challenges, and importance) to a non-academic audience. Feedback from 15 postgraduate students and reflections from four staff members were gathered and examined. Our results show that both the workshop and podcasts improved students’ confidence in science communication, but some adjustments were suggested. Staff reflections were in line with students’ feedback highlighting that the assessment was effective in teaching the importance of communicating their research in an accessible way. Overall, podcasts can be used as an alternative assessment tool to teach science communication.