Education & Research of Science Communication at CoSTEP, Hokkaido University
1. Education & Research of Science Communication
at CoSTEP, Hokkaido University
Gensei Ishimura
Communication in Science & Technology Education & Research Program,
Hokkaido University (CoSTEP)
2013.6.18
2. Menu
1. What is Science Communication?
2. What is CoSTEP?
3. Curriculum
4. Difficulty and Solution
5. How to Collaborate?
6. How to Realize ‘Community of Practice’
7. Cases
8. CoSTEP: the Next Step
4. Science Communication
• To create bridges between specialists in
‘science and technology’ and the society
Specialists in
science and
technology
The society
Science
communication
5. Why science communication?
• Relation among science, technology and the
society has become extremely complicated.
• The number of questions which can be asked
of science and yet cannot be answered by
science (= trans-science issues) increases.
• To deal with such issues, individuals with
‘novel skills’ are needed in the society.
7. Goal
• The educational organization to nurture
“science communicators”.
Specialists in
science and
technology
The society
Science
communicators
8. History
• Founded in 2005 at Hokkaido University
as a 5-year project funded by the national
government.
• At April, 2010, Hokkaido University
decided to continue the program by its
own budget.
• Now the 9th yearly program is running.
9. Mission
1. To educate science communicators
2. To do practice variety of science
communications
3. Research and development of
educational methods
To realize better relationship between
science, technology, and the society
10. Principles
• Mutual communication
• Community based
• Learning by practice
• Science communicator as a ‘role’ (not
restricted to ,so-called, ‘profession’)
• Generalist-oriented (not to exclude
specialists but to focus on collaborating
with them)
11. Definition of concepts, again
• Science communication
– To improve collective decision-making function in the
entire society, by conducting communications about
science and technology
• Practices
– To affect decision-making of any individuals or
organizations by conducting practical activities in the
society
• Practices of science communication
– To improve collective decision-making function in the
entire society, through affecting decision-making of
any individuals or organizations by conducting
practical communication activities about science and
technology
12. How the curriculum should be
designed?
• What kind of knowledge, skills, mindsets and
experiences are needed for science
communicators?
• They depend on
– purpose of communication,
– with whom they will work,
– what the society expects,
– students career design,
– students background,
– time and other resources available for education
– etc.
13. Conditions
• There’s no top-down answer.
• It must be dynamically constructed in the
mutual relationship among education,
practice, and conceptualization.
14. Education, practice, and
conceptualization
• Education
– lectures and seminars in the classroom
• Practice
– activities in the real society with diverse actors
(clients, audience, visitors, etc.)
• Conceptualization
– Description, abstraction, and systematization of
education and practice
15. Relation among the 3 processes
Education Practice
Concep
tualizat
ion
improvement
systematization
evaluation
evaluation
application
improvement
systematization
evaluation
evaluation
17. 3 major components
I. Way of thinking in science communication
II. Analysis and Planning for Action
III. Practices in science communication
To understand theoretical constellation of the field and ‘frame of
reference’ which gives basis for agenda setting and decision
making for science communicators to handle with practical issues
To learn basic way of thinking to investigate, analyze, and
evaluate information about science and society, in order to give
basis for decision making, consensus building, and strategy
making
To learn basic knowledge and skills necessary for taking effective
role through a variety of practices in the real society
18. 7 elements
Theoretical framework
Trans-science issues
Understanding diversity among related actors
Analysis and planning for action
Practical methods for learning
Practices and management in the real society
I. Way of thinking in science
communication
II. Analysis and Planning for Action
III. Practices in science
communication
3 major components 8 elements
Practical methods for expression and communication
19. 1. Theoretical framework
To outlook how to allocate science communication in the social
system
society
science
public
technology
communitypolitics
education sustainability
economics
20. 2. Trans-science issues
To understand practical social problems, and to train way of
thinking to deal with complicated structure of trans-science issues.
Global
environmental
issues
Information and
Computer
Technology
Medical issues
Food Safety
Energy issuesNanotechnology
Science and
Technology Policy
Intellectual Assets
Neuroethics
21. 3. Understanding diversity among
related actors
To understand major actors which science communicators
might collaborate (or negotiate) with.
Internet media Bureaucracy
Journalists
(mass media)
Citizens
University Venture
Teachers
(formal education)
Artists
Educators
(informal education)
Scientists
22. 4. Analysis and planning for action
To learn basic way of thinking to investigate, analyze, and
evaluate information and process necessary for practice
investigation
decision making
analysis
evaluation
action
planning
proposal
23. 5. Practical methods for expression
and communication
To acquire expression and communication skills necessary for
science communicators
Graphic design
Presentation
Facilitation
expression and communication
Science writing
Movie contents creation
Information design
Science event design
Public speaking
Editorial design
Educational program design
24. 6. Practical methods for learning
To acquire learning and teaching skills necessary for science
communicators
Collaborative learning
Problem based learning
Case methods
Various ways of learning and
teaching
Instructional design
Social learning
Gamification
Adult/Practitioners learning
Workshop
Open education
Flipped learning
25. 7. Practices and management in the
real society
To learn practical skills necessary in the real society
Schedule
management
Team
management
Negotiation /
Business
communication
Public relations /
Marketing
Cost management
Human
networking
Leadership
Quality
management
Risk management
Advanced communication skills
Management skills
Collaboration
26. Relationship among each element
Theoretical framework
Trans-science issues
Understanding diversity
among related actors
Analysis and planning for action
Practical methods
for expression and
communication
Practices and management in the real society
I. Way of thinking
II. Analysis and
Planning for Action
III. Practices
3 major components 8 elements
Practical methods
for learning
27. Educational program
I. Way of thinking in
science communication
II. Analysis and
Planning for Action
III. Practices in science
communication
3 major
components
7 elements
Lectures
Seminars
Projects
Curriculum framework program
To realize
better and
mutual
relationship
between
science and
the society
mission
28. Lecture modules
8 lecture modules
1. Theoretical framework
2. Trans-science issues
3. Understanding diversity
among related actors (1)
4. Understanding diversity
among related actors (2)
5. Analysis and planning for
action
6. Practical methods for
expression and
communication
7. Practical methods for
learning
8. Practices and management
in the real society
I. Way of thinking in
science communication
II. Analysis and
Planning for Action
III. Practices in science
communication
3 major
components
7 elements
Curriculum framework
29. Modular structure
• For Teachers
To judge whether
1. the curriculum is “MECE” or not
2. each class is well corresponded to each
module
3. the modular structure meets current need of
students and in the society
• For students
1. To outlook what they should learn
2. To effectively connect and apply what they
had learned
(*)Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive
*
30. 3 Courses for different needs
courses purpose
comprehensive •To take leadership to plan and manage
science communication activities in the
society.
Selective A •To learn basic knowledge and skills
about science communication
•Weight on designing face-to-face
communication experience
Setective B •To learn basic knowledge and skills
about science communication
•Weight on scientific writing
31. 3 Courses for different needs
course number Min. req. style
Comprehen
sive
20~30 Lecture:27 On site ( Sat. 14:00~15:30)
/ E-learning
Seminar:16 On site (Wed. 18:30~20:00)
Project:27 On site (Sat. 15:00~17:00)
Selective A 20~30 Lecture:27 On site ( Sat. 14:00~15:30)
/ E-learning
Seminar:12 Intensive (3 days)
Selective B 20~30 Lecture:27 On site ( Sat. 14:00~15:30)
/ E-learning
Seminar:12 Intensive (3 days)
33. Difficulty in science communication
• Inter-disciplinarity
• Complexity of problems
• Various stake holders related
• Strong need in quick and practical
solutions
Only individual skill cover such
problems?
34. Educational methodology
• So educational methodology for science
communication must be distinctively different
from traditional ones which have been designed
to develop individual’s competence.
• In order to make consensus, to solve problems, or
to make decisions, communicators must
collaborate with people of various specialties,
professions, interests, value systems, and
demographic attributes.
35. Educational methodology
• We focus on educating science communicators
who can have leadership to plan and manage
activities in the real society,
– by collaborating with others.
36. 4. How to Collaborate?
- by ‘Community of Practice’
37. Community of Practice
• A group of people which share concern,
awareness, or passion about any issues
and which develop knowledge and skills
in that domain through continuous
reciprocal communication.
(Wenger, Mcdermott, and Snyder (2002))
38. A group of students
in our educational program
Community of practice
39. Components of “community of
practice”
1. Domain (What do the participants deal with?)
2. Community (How are they grouped?)
3. Practice (What do they try to achieve?)
40. Components of ‘community of
practice’ at CoSTEP
Domain Science communication
Community Students,
teachers, graduates, and supporters
Practice To learn science communication ?
41. The key concept of ‘community
of practice’
A group designed to do something other than
learning
Some entity to be described through the
framework of learning
to intentionally
interpret
42. Learning
• Not a given, final purpose
• Spontaneously created process to achieve
something else (ex. goal of the project)
43. Components of ‘community of
practice’ at CoSTEP
Domain Science communication
Community Students,
teachers, supporters, and graduates
Practice To learn science communication ?
44. Components of ‘community of
practice’ at CoSTEP
Domain Science communication
Community Students,
teachers, supporters, and graduates
Practice To learn science communication
To perform science communication
To develop the growing field of
science communication in Japan
46. To facilitate ‘community of practice’
• Our program intentionally accepts students
with much diversity, and is well designed for
them to learn essentially by collaboration and
through actual projects with feedback from
clients and the real society.
• They are encouraged to reflect what they have
learned and to construct its meta-conception,
for future application and for supporting their
neighbors to learn in turn.
47. To facilitate ‘community of practice’
• Through the program as a whole, students not
only study by themselves but also learn how to
collaborate with others of ‘different’ talents and
motivations, to solve ‘common’ problems.
• They make interpersonal networks not only
among each other but also with various stake
holders, specialists, and organizations, which are
quite valuable for their post-graduate practice.
49. Cases
1. Introductory Workshop
2. Sharing of Each Interest by Presentation
3. Project-based Learning
4. Action Learning
5. Workshop for making mutual
relationship
6. Social Networking System
7. Supporter group
50. 1. Introductory Workshop to Learn
Collaboration
• Held at the very beginning of the one-year
educational program.
• Students are divided into small groups.
• They introduce themselves to the other in each
group.
• Introduction is to share ‘what I want to do’ and
‘what I can do’ in terms of science communication.
• Members in each group combine someone’s
‘want-to-do’ to some other’s ‘can-do’ in order to
plan a virtual project about science
communication.
51. 2. Sharing of Each Interest by
Presentation
• All the students give short presentation to
the others, which is about their interest in
science, technology, or science
communication.
• Audience not only give questions about
the content of the presentation, but also
give comments about its style.
• Students not only develop presentation
skill but also share each other’s interests
for future collaboration.
52. 3. Project-Based Learning
• Project
– to design learning program based on the
project proposed by any ‘clients’ in the local
society
• Team
– composed of students with various
backgrounds
• Learning Goal
– defined by students themselves
• Evaluation
– defined by students themselves
53. 4. Seminor with ‘Action Learning’ Method
• A series of discussions to solve problems
by ‘question-based communication’
– One shows his/her own problem.
– The other help him/her solve it by
himself/herself.
– By giving questions to him/her, not teaching,
directing, nor criticizing.
• Students share their problems with each
other, and learn how to solve them by
collaboration.
Marquardt(2004)
54. 5. Workshop for Mutual Relationship
• Organized a workshop for staffs in PR
sections of various research institutes.
• There, each participant showed their own
problems in their organization.
• For each other, participants offered ‘any
kind of supports’ to solve them.
• They continued to communicate with each
other even after the workshop because
they ‘had promised supports’ to each
other.
55. 6. Social Networking System
• Participants’ Diaries to share
• Casual conversation
• Event information
56. 7. Supporter group
• Our educational program had had a
supporter group voluntarily founded just
after it had started since several years ago.
• The member of the group joined science
communication practices produced by
CoSTEP in the way they like.
• Such a style of participation is considered
as ‘legitimate peripheral participation’.
(Lave and Wenger (1991))
57. Teachers’ Role
• Students as teachers
• Textbooks and cases inside the students’
experiences
• Teachers as facilitators
59. Expands community
catalyzed by practice
individuals
groups
community
(local) society
Knowledge/skill
acquisition
Networking
Emergence of community
of practice
Activation of local
society and culture
60. Helps students design their life-long
learning
During programPre- Post-
individuals groups / community local society
Occasion for
engagement such as
“science cafe”
Occasion for variety of
learning and practice
Sustainable occasion for
learning through community
CoSTEP
61. Improves ‘problem solving function and
productivity’ in the local society, and quality of life
there
1. Expands community of practice
The Next Step
2. Helps students design their own life-long learning
Enriches social capital