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The ±«±·³§°ÂÌý course teach students foundational communication skills that they can apply to their degrees, future careers, or postgraduate research.  SCIF1680 replaces BEES2680 from 2026 onwards.

Good communication skills are required in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, aviation, and many other STEMM disciplines. Communication is paramount for ensuring safety and efficiency in key areas such as aviation and medicine, whether written, verbal or visual.

Students must be able to craft their messages into different shapes for different audiences, whether they are writing a lecture, report, research paper, or presenting to peers or public audiences. These skills are not only helpful for learning at university but are also essential for a successful career.

This course combines theoretical and practical learning. Self-paced weekly lessons are designed to teach foundational knowledge and include activities for students to reflect on their understanding of key concepts. Weekly live, online classes and interactive, consolidating concepts learnt in the lessons and encouraging students to practise communication skills by interacting with peers and disciplinary experts.

Students begin the first half of the course by learning how to learn in the first week. This includes exploring techniques and strategies for effectively receiving, retaining and recalling information, understanding how to actively learn, and the concept of deep learning versus surface learning.

Through understanding these foundational skills, students are set up for success, not only in this course but their future careers. Students then apply these base skills to a more communications-specific context, including writing succinctly in the narrative, using descriptive and academic styles, listening actively and reading critically and reflectively. They also learn the anatomy of a compelling presentation tailored to different audiences. 

The second half of the course builds on these skills, with students developing an evidence-based article in The Conversation style. Students begin with a topic in which they can balance expert consensus with public opinion. They learn to develop a research question for their article, search primary literature and secondary sources, analyse and evaluate the information, and apply lessons on separating fact from fiction. They then outline the article, create several drafts, and edit it into a well-balanced, coherent, cohesive, and referenced final product.