Updated May 12, 2024
By Sheeva Azma
Science educators (whether teachers, instructors, professors, or some other title): Ever wanted an add-on science communication curriculum that could complement your science teaching? Look no further!
Download this curriculum here, watch Sheeva give the curriculum as a series of 12 lectures, or keep reading.
Navigate to a section of the curriculum:
Why I created this curriculum
Why I’m qualified to write this curriculum
How to use this
What students will learn
A note about grading
Make this curriculum your own
The full, FREE, week-by-week curriculum
Why I created this curriculum
I have seen science communicators implore scientists in undergraduate and graduate programs to learn science communication (often abbreviated as “SciComm”), but scientists often complain that there’s no time. That’s why, as a science writing tutor and mentor myself, I came up with this simple 12-week SciComm syllabus/lesson plan that can be a simple accompaniment to any science course. There are tons of SciComm courses and trainings online, but not a lot that can be readily adaptable to a science course. So, because I’ve never seen anything like this, I decided to come up with my own!
It’s good timing, in a way: in August 2023, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology or PCAST released guidance highlighting the importance of science communication in science programs. Here’s a way to make that recommendation happen for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate science programs!
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Why I’m qualified to write this curriculum
This FREE SciComm add-on curriculum was written by me (Sheeva Azma) – a scientist turned science writer (since 2013) and educator (formally, since 2001) with experience in instituting communications requirements for scientists and engineers at the university level. In addition to running Fancy Comma, I have 20+ years of teaching experience – teaching both science (mostly neuroscience) and writing/literature. I currently also moonlight as a tutor for all types of subjects in math, science, and especially reading and writing English. As a tutor, I spend the majority of my time working with K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students to improve their writing. I also provide one-on-one tutoring for people specifically seeking to improve their science writing skills. As an undergraduate, I served on MIT’s Subcommittee for the Communications Requirement or SOCR, where I helped establish MIT’s in-major communications requirement to help scientists and engineers speak and write better. That was back in 2001 through 2003ish…so I have been thinking about science education, and specifically, science communication education for over 20 years now.
I got the idea for this curriculum from one of my own courses: probably the only “official” science communication course I have ever taken. It was called 7.02SC (the “SC” stands for scientific communication, in case you couldn’t guess) and it was an add-on course to 7.02, which is the standard biology lab offered in-major for biology students (also an elective course for chemical engineering students, which was my major at the time of taking it).
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How to use this syllabus / curriculum / lesson plan (whatever you want to call it)
Writing this, I didn’t intend to come up with a super detailed syllabus and lesson plan for a standalone course. My goal was to develop some easy-to-teach and easy-to-understand content that could be a good add-on for any science course. There are a few of our blogs to read and discuss each week, as well as short discussion assignments.
The 12-week curriculum outline can be described as a SciComm survey course which talks about the ways that science interacts with society, and frames science in a sociological context. For each week, there is a small amount of reading, a discussion question, and an assignment. This is not meant to be exhaustive or even its own class – you will not find any lecture outlines on this page (though you’re more than welcome to develop lectures based on our content – we would love to read them if you go that route!).
I spoke with Dr. Bruce Kirchoff, a scientist and science communications trainer who has been teaching science communication as part of his university science courses for decades. Watch the conversation on our YouTube to learn what has worked for him (and follow him on YouTube and subscribe to Dr. Kirchoff’s newsletter for more SciComm!).
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What students will learn
Students will come away from the course familiar with SciComm, with some practical experience in the field, and will be able to communicate more effectively – the main goal of any SciComm training. In the discussion of SciComm, I have also included communicating science to important stakeholders such as non-scientist policymakers, and I even have a section on science in the marketing world. As I have learned firsthand, being able to understand the policy and marketing/advertising world can help one become a great communicator!
I envision this 12-week SciComm add-on course as a great way to build SciComm skills alongside building rigorous science expertise to create an unstoppable combo that can boost science literacy and solve global problems. Of course, it can also do the stuff important to scientists: help scientists communicate better and get more grants and give better presentations; aid in achieving better press coverage; and so on. You can see me teach this curriculum here.
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A note about grading
Grading can be a time-consuming activity, so this curriculum is designed to be low-effort when it comes to grading. Don’t worry about the specifics, since the point is to get your students thinking in a science communications frame of mind. I recommend giving your students an “A for effort” – based on whether they’ve completed the assignment or not – since the point is to develop and practice these skills which may be foreign to them as a scientist. If you do want to use a more structured rubric, consider grading on things like organization, research, grammar, and spelling – you can grade each on a scale (for example: excellent, good, fair, poor), and add comments on specific things to improve for each area. For grading and feedback, you might also consider reviewing and workshopping students’ work live in class, and also peer editing and collaboration.
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Make this curriculum your own
Feel free to pick and choose depending on your educational needs. In adapting this curriculum to your specific needs as a science educator, you might also want to read our article on breaking stereotypes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). You might also want to check out MIT’s Biological Engineering Communication Lab or CommLab’s series of guides on successful science education.
If you are an instructor, teacher, or professor using any of the below SciComm curriculum in your science courses, please let me know! I’d love to know how it goes.
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A FREE, 12-Week Science Communication Add-On Course for Science Courses
All readings and videos are produced by Fancy Comma and can be found on our blog and YouTube channel.
Go to a specific week:
Week 1: What is science communication?
Week 2: Science happens in the context of society
Week 3: We are scientists and our job is to do science. Why should we care about public science literacy?
Week 4: Science communication levels the playing field for all
Week 5: What is sociology of science?
Week 6: No! More! Jargon!
Week 7: Telling a science story
Week 8: Solving problems with SciComm, Part 1: Communicating science to shape policy
Week 9: Create your own SciComm!
Week 10: Unethical communication (how NOT to communicate)
Week 11: Intro to marketing and public relations for scientists
Week 12: Solving problems with SciComm, Part 2: Combatting misinformation
Week 1: What is science communication?
In the first week of this course, students will learn about science communication as a field complementary to, but also part of, science.
Watch Sheeva’s Week 1 Video Lecture:
Week 1 Video Lecture by Sheeva Azma
Week 1 Reading:
Why Should Scientists Practice Science Communication (SciComm)?
Week 1 Videos:
Dr. Bruce Kirchoff: Scientist, Improviser, Storyteller, and Science Communication Instructor
Week 1 Discussion Question:
What frustrates you about the science coverage you see in the news? What do you like about it? Where do you think scientists fit into that conversation?
Week 1 Assignment: Summarize a paper in 1-2 sentences.
Estimated time: 30-45 minutes (to skim the paper and summarize it)
Summarize a scientific paper in a single sentence (or two) – short enough for a tweet or Instagram post. You don’t have to read the whole paper to summarize it – you can read the abstract and skim the other parts.
If you don’t have a paper in mind from your studies or research, check out Nature, Science, or the New England Journal of Medicine to find an article for this assignment. If you don’t have journal access, there are a few freely-available articles on those sites. You can also check out the open-access journal PLoS One to find an article.
Week 2: Science happens in the context of society
Communicating science requires interfacing with many different facets of society – researchers, doctors, patients, the general public, grant reviewers, the media, lawmakers, business people, and more. Scientists like to think of their work, science, as separate from society; in reality, though, science is a product of people (scientists!) and also of society.
Watch Sheeva’s Week 2 Video Lecture:
Week 2 Video Lecture by Sheeva Azma
Week 2 Reading:
Science Doesn’t Happen in a Vacuum
Week 2 Discussion Question:
How does communicating science effectively help society? What challenges does one face in this effort? Can you brainstorm some ways to overcome these challenges?
Week 2 Assignment: Short Essay
Estimated time: 1 hour
Write a paragraph or two answering ONE of the two question choices below:
Option A: Think about a recent invention that you use every day: your smartphone, an electric car, social media such as Instagram and TikTok, or something else. In what ways has it made your life easier? How has it made your life more complicated? If technology has solved problems for you, has it created new ones?
Option B: Think about advances in your scientific field over the past few years. What are they? Have they made your life easier? More difficult? In what ways?
Week 3: We are scientists and our job is to do science. Why should we care about public science literacy?
One reason to communicate science well (but not the only reason!) is to be able to engage with the public about science as people who have studied it. As we saw in the pandemic, misinformation and fake news can literally kill people. That’s why, this week, we’ll learn about the idea of science literacy, or a person’s familiarity with science, as well as review the state of science in mainstream journalism, and review some tips to find reliable science news and information.
Watch Sheeva’s Week 3 Video Lecture:
Week 3 Video Lecture by Sheeva Azma
Week 3 Reading and Videos:
Learn about Science News Literacy
Science Reporting Needs Less Hype, More Analysis
3 Tips to Find Reliable Science News and Information
Week 3 Discussion Questions:
What happens when there is low public literacy? What about when there is high public literacy?
What are the consequences of misinformation for people who read the news? What about for scientists?
In what ways can scientists educate the general public about thinking critically and analyze and contextualize information?
Do you believe scientists themselves are immune to misinformation?
Week 3 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
In what ways did low science literacy affect people in the pandemic? Do a quick Google News search and come up with an example of misinformation that led to poor health outcomes for COVID patients (this can include patients affected by Long COVID, who are sometimes also called “COVID long-haulers”). Write a paragraph summarizing the news story and discuss the role of misinformation in the patient outcomes. Make sure to cite the news story in APA format in your article.
NOTE: You will need to also cite the news story as the sole reference in a “References” list. Consult Purdue OWL for tips on citing a website in APA format.
Week 4: Science communication levels the playing field for all
“Am I even a scientist?” I used to ask myself as a woman in science. Being a woman in science is hard, but I had never thought about the ways it could lend itself to writer’s block until I started tutoring science writing in fall 2023. At one session, my student told me that she struggles with writing because of the feedback that people had given her in lab. As a result, when she sat down to write, she doubted herself and wondered if she had anything useful to say. The impostor syndrome and self-doubt literally gave her writer’s block and made it harder for her to express her ideas!
Celebrating and amplifying diverse voices in science communication helps improve science by reducing gatekeeping and improving science culture. It helps foster inclusivity and helps people share more ideas, which empowers more scientists to speak up and be in conversation with each other. The end result is that the science is more comprehensive and more inclusive and just generally better.
For example, many people around the world do not have access to science communication, because their first language is not English, they do not have access to the internet or science labs, or their style of knowledge and communication does not fit the Western narrative we learn in the US. Because of this, they are not part of the mainstream science communication narrative.
Watch Sheeva’s Week 4 Video Lecture:
Week 4 Video Lecture by Sheeva Azma
Week 4 Reading:
Why We Need the Global South in Science Communication (and How to Get There)
An Indigenous African Knowledge Framework in Science Communication
Using SciComm to Tackle Information Poverty and Digital Divides
Week 4 Discussion Question:
In what ways does effective science communication make science more inclusive? Give an example to support your point(s).
Week 4 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Stephanie Castillo’s research (watch our interview with her here) shows that focusing on the backstory of scientists can help boost people’s engagement with science. Therefore, find a scientist and write a backstory about them. Your backstory should be relatable, highlight any challenges they faced, and avoid putting the scientist on a pedestal. Instead of making them seem larger-than-life, make them seem like any other person that you might meet. What was the scientist like in real life? Did they have hobbies? What challenges did they face in life? What were the circumstances of their life and what barriers did they overcome in their personal and/or professional life? The scientist bio should be at least a paragraph, but no more than 300 words.
Week 5: What is sociology of science?
Sociology is the study of society, so the sociology of science can be loosely defined as the “social aspects” of science. These are the factors at the individual, family, community, society, or even global level that have to do with how humans are influenced by, understand, and behave within the scientific enterprise.
Science is performed by people, so it is actually a highly social activity, even if we don’t think of it as such. Science is shaped in nonobvious and obvious ways by the wider culture and values of society.
Watch Sheeva’s Week 5 Video Lecture:
Week 5 Video Lecture by Sheeva Azma
Week 5 Reading:
Better Science through Sociology
How Sociology Can Inform Science (and SciComm)
Science as a Human Activity: Understanding “Sociology of Science”
Week 5 Discussion Question:
How can you use concepts from sociology of science when reading and analyzing scientific literature?
Week 5 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Find a scientific paper (go to the Week 1 assignment for ideas on where to download papers) and discuss ways that the results of the findings are influenced by its social context. You can find ideas on what social aspects of science to discuss in the Week 5 readings.
Week 6: No! More! Jargon!
Using more jargon doesn’t make science more rigorous or better. It just makes your writing more confusing to read. That’s why it’s good to use jargon sparingly. If you do use jargon, make sure to explain it thoroughly. This week, we’ll learn about jargon and ways to avoid it, as well as ways to break through the jargon when writing about something you don’t understand.
Watch Sheeva’s Week 6 Video Lecture:
Week 6 Video Lecture by Sheeva Azma
Week 6 Reading:
How to Research and Write Skillfully on Something You Know Nothing about
Science’s Exclusionary Language: Why Jargon May Be Driving Away Your Audience
Week 6 Discussion Questions:
In what ways does using jargon slow down or impede the scientific process inside science? In what ways does using jargon impede the flow of science outside of laboratories?
Week 6 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1 hour
Skim a scientific paper (consult Week 1’s assignment for information on where to find science papers). Then, write two paragraphs about it.
In the first paragraph, try to summarize the main point of the paper. What was the main point of the paper?
In the second paragraph, critique the authors’ writing. Answer the following questions: what is the main point of the paper, and did they communicate it well? What did they do well in writing? What could they have done better to communicate their main point more clearly? Did jargon impede their ability to get their main point across?
Week 7: Telling a science story
Storytelling has been part of our shared humanity for centuries. This week, we talk about telling science stories, as well as ways to stress less when doing so.
Week 7 Reading:
The Art of Storytelling in Science
Book Review: Presenting Science Concisely
Storytelling in Scientific Research
5 Ways to Stress Less When Starting a Scientific Writing Piece
Week 7 Discussion Question:
In what ways does the scientific process naturally lend itself to storytelling?
What is stressful about scientific writing and what are some ways to make the process less stressful?
Week 7 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1 hour
Write a paragraph or two answering ONE of the two question choices below:
Option A: Write a short intro talking about an issue in science for an academic audience, but using layperson terminology and making it as accessible as possible. Use principles of science storytelling.
Option B: Go to the science section of a major newspaper (or a science blog or website) and find a really good example of science storytelling in an article. What do you like about it? What things do you think could be improved? (Sheeva’s favorite science reporting comes from the Los Angeles Times science section.)
Week 8: Solving problems with SciComm, Part 1: Communicating science to shape policy
The science and political worlds are two completely different places. In the science world, people value facts and science. In the political world, being able to communicate well and relate to people is paramount. What’s more, Congress funds science every year through giving money to federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation (and more). Those are just a couple of reasons why communicating science well can help create better policy.
Week 8 Reading:
Improving Policymaking through Science Communication
How to Promote Science on Capitol Hill
Models of US Science Research and Development
Week 8 Discussion Question:
You have been invited by your scientific professional organization (for example, the Society for Neuroscience if you are a neuroscientist) to visit your members of Congress and talk to them about why supporting federal science funding is important. What do you say to them to make your case? Keep in mind that members of Congress are interested in helping their constituents, supporting science research in general, and finding new cures, and that they probably won’t understand the specifics of science research unless you take the time to explain it to them effectively.
Week 8 Assignment:
Estimated time: 45 minutes
Suppose you are working on a political campaign for a pro-science candidate. This candidate (real or hypothetical) must be running for an elected position in any branch of government, in any political party. Write a short, 1-paragraph reflection that includes mentioning what office your candidate is seeking, and ways their policy platform helps their constituents live better lives through science. Next, come up with a list of three pro-science, non-partisan talking points on issues that deal with science. Note that issues such as agriculture, energy (including renewable energy), environment, health, science funding, space, defense, foreign policy, or any other issues can interface with science in many different ways, so your talking points do not have to be about science, but simply involve science.
NOTE: More advanced students can try their skill in writing a one-pager for Congress or even a white paper summarizing a science topic for a policy audience.
Week 9: Create your own SciComm!
Congratulations on making it this far in the course! We’ve finally made it to the part where we come up with our own science communication!
Week 9 Reading:
10 Forms of SciComm for Everyone
Add Memes to Your SciComm Toolbox
Optional (for Taylor Swift fans): 5 SciComm Lessons from Taylor Swift
Week 9 Discussion Question:
What makes science communication more interesting and engaging? What makes science communication boring and inaccessible?
Week 9 Assignment:
Estimated time: please take no more than two hours
Time to get creative! Make your own SciComm explaining a concept in science that you wish other people knew more about. If you do research, you can explain a concept from your research. The SciComm can be in any format, including a social media post such as an Instagram Reel, or even an internet meme.
Week 10: Unethical Communication (how NOT to communicate)
Ethical communication builds trust and connection, which makes it the best way to communicate. Learning how not to communicate, and especially learning from the communication mistakes of others, can be useful.
Week 10 Reading:
Six Forms of Unethical Communication
Unethical Communication: Examples from Science and SciComm
Unethical Communication: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Week 10 Discussion Question:
What are the consequences of unethical communication? Why is ethical communication more effective than unethical means?
Week 10 Assignment:
Estimated time: 45 minutes
In no more than one or two paragraphs, discuss an example of unethical communication (such as an ad, a political message, or other type of public-facing messaging) you have seen. Who was the message’s intended audience and what made the message unethical?
Week 11: Intro to marketing and public relations for scientists
Marketing involves the selling of products and services, and public relations deals with the relationships that organizations have with the media, the general public, and other stakeholders. While both are often thought of outside the realm of science, they are powerful tools for scientists, especially when communicating science to various audiences. We delve into both marketing and public relations this week.
Week 11 Reading:
What Makes Science Copywriting Unique?
Science Copywriting: Frequently Asked Questions
The Art of Selling with Science Copywriting
Book Review: Strategic Science Communication by John C. Besley and Anthony Dudo
Promoting Yourself as a SciCommer
Week 11 Video:
Marketing complex science and tech: Chatting with Julia Gifford, co-founder and CEO of Truesix
Week 11 Discussion Question:
In what ways can scientists, science, and the general public benefit from scientists learning marketing and public relations concepts and applying them in science research?
Week 11 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1 hour
Choose ONE of the below options:
Option A: Come up with a 1-minute elevator pitch speech about a subject in science and communicate the basic details in a way anyone can understand. If you are working on a research project, you can make your elevator pitch about your research and why it’s important for the world.
Option B: Come up with a few short sentences (no more than five sentences) selling a science or technology product (such as an iPhone, medical device, or something else of your choosing) in a way anyone can understand. Follow the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model discussed in this blog.
Option C: Marketers use a technique called “social listening” to see what people are saying about a given product or subject. Conduct a social listening campaign on a given topic in science. Search for your topic on social media or on AnswerThePublic.com, and come up with a list of five questions people might be asking about the subject. To complete this assignment, you can follow the instructions in this article.
Week 12: Solving problems with SciComm, Part 2: Combatting misinformation
Week 12 Reading:
Fake News and News Literacy in the “Post-Truth” Era
Can We Make “Good” Journalism “Great”?
The Easy-To-Understand ChatGPT Explainer That It Could Never Write Itself
Week 12 Video:
Sgt. Scholar, Marine Veteran and Science Communicator
Week 12 Discussion Questions:
What are barriers to journalists’ ability to access, interpret, and report scientific information?
In what ways can ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies promote and/or combat misinformation?
Week 12 Assignment:
Estimated time: 1 hour
Find a news clip online of your choosing. Look up the main reporter in the news clip on Google and find their resume. Figure out if they have a science background or any in-depth experience in science. Reflect on the following in one to two paragraphs: If they do have a science background, in what ways does that background help support their reporting? If they do not have a science background, in what ways would a science background benefit their reporting? Also make sure to discuss the angle of the journalist talking about the subject and any potential biases, irrespective of science knowledge. Please limit your response to two paragraphs maximum.
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