Master “The Art of Scientific Presenting” with this Online Course
Let’s get this out of the way first. Yes, it’s a free course. Yes, you get access to all the lessons on Youtube. And yes, the workbook (for students) and teacher manual (for educators) is also included. No catch, no payments, no subscribing to a newsletter.
So, let’s have a look at what this is and why this course exists!
Introducing the RALDE Online Course
In the height of the pandemic, Creators For Climate got the opportunity to become a partner in a bigger European project around digitising education. This project was funded by Erasmus+ and had the goal to focus on “Rethinking Active Learning and Distance Education”, in short, RALDE. As creative partner, Creators For Climate got to turn the scientific content into digital media.
One of the outcomes of the RALDE project was the creation of a course around scientific presenting. Almost all scientists will have to give an academic presentation at some point in their career. Wether it’s to present a student project, or to pitch your research in a conference. But there is one constant we think is still undervalued: the teaching of presentation skills, and the lack thereof in science programs.
With this course we got to sit down with students and teachers, to understand the needs and pains when it comes to presenting your research to the scientific community. For some those pains represent in overcrowded slides, others might feel a bit too stressed to present comfortably. We went back to the basics and created an online course that would get you started, wherever you are in your presenting journey. So let’s see what you can expect from these lessons.
The Curriculum
We designed this online course with every facet of academic presenting in mind. Even the steps some of us skip, or that might feel redundant. To give a great presentation, is to understand all the parts of the process. For example: did you ever pause to think about what you want to get out of this presentation, instead of just parroting what you prepared by heart?
Below are the main lessons and what we will go over in this course:
Presentation Goals: Setting clear objectives for what your presentation aims to achieve.
Audience Analysis: Understanding who your audience is and what they seek.
Context Consideration: Adapting your message to the setting and expectations.
Structure and Pacing: Crafting a narrative that captivates and maintains interest.
Design Principles: Leveraging visuals to complement and enhance your message.
A new type of Poster: Innovating within the academic format.
Delivery Techniques: Mastering the art of verbal and non-verbal communication.
Stress Management: Navigating the inevitable nerves with grace.
Handling Q&A Sessions: Engaging in scientific discussion with confidence and authority.
The Art of Scientific Presenting Course Lessons
Each lesson is a step towards becoming not just a good presenter, but a great storyteller, where you can share your research through narrative. And storytelling is something that is close to the core goal of Creators For Climate.
The Course Materials
We created this course with both teachers and students in mind. Because of this we went for a multimodal approach and created different materials that helps students with the active learning of these presentation skills.
For Teachers: We designed a teacher manual with learning tasks and guided exercises. We build the course with learning objectives in mind, so educators can integrate this course, fully or in part, into their own classes. We also provide the playlist to the Youtube Channel so you have an idea of the course content. Feel free to use these video lessons, or use them as a basis for your own curriculum.
For Students: Besides the videos, we created a student workbook which will guide students through the learning tasks & lessons, and implement what they learn with integrated exercises. By the end of the workbook students should have the capability to create a live presentation or poster presentation, with all the skills explored in the course.
Get access here
Academic presenting vs Sci-com
While academic presenting skills are important to furthering scientific knowledge and to engage in scientific discussions, talking to a lay audience isn’t as straight forward as applying said skills in the same way.
If you want to step outside of the scientific bubble to reach a wider audience, you’ll have to understand where people hang out, online and in the real world, and who specifically will be open to hearing your story, and who isn’t. Luckily, this science communication aspect is what Creators For Climate is all about.
If you are a scientist who wants to learn more about science communication, where to start and how to apply it to your own research, I might have something for you. In the e-book below I’ve compiled a 30 day challenge which gets you through all the steps of communicating your research. No prior knowledge required. The goal is to get more science content on the web, and we have to start at the start.
Sign up for the waitlist of the Science Communication 101 E-book and be an integral part of our community of change!
Community driven knowledge
We’re testing the workbook with a handful of driven scientists at the moment. Please join the waitlist if you want to be notified when we launch.
The RALDE Project
Discover the innovative approaches to active learning and distance education, looking the future of university education. Funded by Erasmus+, RALDE aims to bridge the gap between traditional and remote learning, ensuring quality education for all.
More about the project
