SciComm: An Oral Communication Professional Development Program for STEM Graduate Students

Now, more than ever, is a time when scientists and engineers must be able to create a factual and compelling account of their research. How can STEM graduate students learn to communicate complex information to a variety of audiences in a concise way? An NSF-funded STEM oral communication program, called “SciComm”, was developed and implemented at a large public institution to meet this professional development need for STEM graduate students. The SciComm program engaged a cohort of 28 STEM graduate students in bi-weekly seminar meetings during the 2017-2018 academic year. The program goals were twofold: First, to equip students with the training and experience to effectively and confidently communicate their research with a variety of audiences that a STEM professional may encounter. Second, to develop or deepen students’ understanding of the diverse set of future career opportunities available to STEM PhD holders. To accomplish these goals, the program was designed with three components: 1) hands-on training seminars, 2) communication challenges putting the training into practice on video and for audiences reflective of the professions discussed in the program, and 3) mentorship by a non-program institutional STEM alumnus/a. This paper will present the program design and research results from the first year. Using a mixed methods approach, we sought to examine the extent to which graduate students’ perceptions of communication confidence and awareness of STEM career opportunities improved over the course of the program. We also aimed to measure their communication skills to different audiences and obtain feedback on the most impactful program components. Data included pre/post-surveys, focus groups, and program artifacts (e.g., reflections, videos). Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t-tests, and qualitative data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Results demonstrate that graduate students became more confident in their ability to communicate scientific research and significantly improved their understanding of non-industry related careers. Graduate students found the mentor interactions, creation of communication videos, and interdisciplinary of the program as the most helpful components. These results suggest that the SciComm program successfully met its goals, and points to additional program benefits that participating graduate students recognized beyond the stated learning outcomes. In our paper, we will share our research results as well as suggestions for communication program implementation at other universities.