An Upper-Level Biology Course Designed to Develop Science Communication in Stem Majors by Examining the Biotechnology Industry

Many undergraduate students pursuing life science majors are not aware of job options outside of medicine and academic research, because many departments stress these as the only primary career pathways. In addition, biology students often do not have many opportunities to develop their science comm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American biology teacher 2020-08, Vol.82 (6), p.389-393
Main Authors: Laranjo, Laura T., Greppi, Chloe C., Kosinski-Collins, Melissa S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assignments
Biology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology industry
Careers
College Science
Communication
Communication Skills
Drug development
Ethics
Outcomes of Education
Pharmacology
presentation skills
Professional development
Public Speaking
RESEARCH ON LEARNING
Science Careers
science communication
Skill Development
STEM Education
Students
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate study
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Many undergraduate students pursuing life science majors are not aware of job options outside of medicine and academic research, because many departments stress these as the only primary career pathways. In addition, biology students often do not have many opportunities to develop their science communication and presentation skills due to the rigorous course requirements inherent in these fields that would make them more competitive for careers in biotechnology. We developed a course using diverse pedagogies designed to introduce students to new careers in biotechnology, to help them understand the role of ethics in the drug development pipeline, and to incorporate more communication assignments, such as student presentations and journal-club-style paper discussions to more effectively prepare them for many STEM-based career possibilities. By the end of the course, students had broader knowledge of previously unknown science careers, had improved their scientific communication skills, and reported a greater understanding of course material as a result of the science communication assignments.
ISSN:0002-7685
1938-4211
DOI:10.1525/abt.2020.82.6.389