Teaching oral communication in undergraduate science: Are we doing enough and doing it right?

Abstract

Communication skills and insights form an important basis for employability and participation in society. Universities aim to produce graduates with effective communication skills. Effective oral communication is critical for the advancement and sharing of scientific knowledge. There is increasing recognition within tertiary institutions of the need for science graduates to develop better presentation skills, in particular. This paper addresses the importance of embedding, teaching and assessing oral communication in university science subjects. It also describes several simple and authentic oral learning/assessment exercises.