Beyond Self Report: Decoding an upcoming science communication skills evaluation tool from Western Michigan University

Questions of the Day Host Fanuel Muindi interviews Dr. Peter Vollbrecht, an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Western Michigan University (WMed) Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, about an upcoming science communication skills evaluation tool that he and his collaborators are developing. Vollbrecht mentions that the inspiration came from existing rubrics which he says have been limited in scope or rely heavily on self-reports. “Our goal is to create something that is effective across a whole bunch of different communication settings, whether that’s informal science communication or outreach type events or a lecture classroom… We’d love to see the rubric being used in all of those settings to try and help trainees improve their communication skills.”

Learn more about Peter Vollbrecht: https://wmed.edu/node/1514

Fanuel Muindi

Fanuel Muindi is a former neuroscientist turned civic science ethnographer. He is a professor of the practice in the Department of Communication Studies within the College of Arts, Media, and Design at Northeastern University, where he leads the Civic Science Media Lab. Dr. Muindi received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and PhD in Organismal Biology from Morehouse College and Stanford University, respectively. He completed his postdoctoral training at MIT.