Infographics and Iterative Peer/Near-Peer Review as Tools to Improve Chemistry Communication Skills with General Audiences

Abstract

The ability to communicate scientific concepts to expert and nonexpert audiences is an essential skill for chemistry and STEM students. Current chemistry curricula mainly focus on developing skills to communicate technical information to expert audiences, while relaying the same information to general audiences receives much less attention. Although numerous initiatives work to close this gap, many have logistical or financial barriers that make them difficult to integrate in a large classroom setting. Herein, we present an assignment focused on improving advanced students’ (i.e., graduate and advanced undergraduate students) ability to communicate current organometallic chemistry research (i.e., technical information) to a general audience using infographics. Our assignment features a unique, iterative feedback model incorporating instructor, peer, and near-peer (general audience) groups to provide students with multiple opportunities to refine their communication skills. Anonymous student self-assessments of advanced undergraduate/graduate students (infographic creators and peer reviewers) and first year, non-major undergraduate students (near-peer reviewers and general audience) indicate that the assignment led to (i) increased confidence in communication skills (advanced undergraduate/graduate students), (ii) a broadened understanding of advanced chemistry in everyday life (both), and (iii) increased recognition for the importance of scientific communication to different audiences (both). Reflections on student outcomes as well as recommendations and considerations for instructors are discussed.

Exploration and Practice of Online–Offline Blended Teaching in Process Simulation Courses

“…This simple process includes an upstream unit (stirred reactor with a chemical reaction of A + B → C) and a downstream unit (plate and frame filtration), both operated in batch modes. The evaluation of this two-unit project learning adopts a peer review approach . The approach involves students assessing their peers’ project files for criteria such as completeness in process construction, adherence to material and energy conservation calculations, and the soundness of economic evaluations.…”

“…The evaluation of this two-unit project learning adopts a peer review approach. 20 The approach involves students assessing their peers' project files for criteria such as completeness in process construction, adherence to material and energy conservation calculations, and the soundness of economic evaluations.…”

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“…The videos can be seen on the YouTube platform on a channel created for this purpose . To encourage and facilitate learning for students, an infographic was developed and placed on one of the model walls (Figure ; see also the whole panel in detail in the SI, Infographic). , …”

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