The Polymers course at James Madison University is an upper-level, chemistry elective offered to students after they have finished the organic chemistry sequence. Traditionally, it has been a content driven, lecture-based course, with little emphasis on scientific communication. As the students taking this course are typically juniors and seniors, this is a crucial time for the development of the scientific communication skills they will need in their diverse career paths. To address this, we incorporated a semester long project centered around the development of a research proposal. This project was broken down into three smaller assignments: a persuasive pitch, a traditional scientific proposal, and a scientific pitch. Each smaller project required the use of diverse media intended to target a specific audience. These media included video production, written work, and oral presentations. Gains in scientific communication were assessed using terminology and infographic rubrics. For each of these smaller projects, several drafts were submitted and subjected to peer and expert feedback. This process allowed us to not only assess for gains in scientific communication, but also allowed us to frame teamwork in a more positive context. That is, we found a strong perceived bias toward group work and teamwork prior to the class. However, by creating an environment that emphasizes teamwork in idea evolution via group feedback, while still maintaining project autonomy, students were able to gain a deeper appreciation for constructive criticism and the diversity of thought. These perceptions of teamwork were assessed using pre- and post-attitudinal surveys. Interestingly, these attitudinal surveys also showed a direct correlation between student self-confidence and gains in these two areas, independent of lecture-provided content knowledge.

Framing science to fit the audience: Developing communications skills in an upper-level polymers course

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.