The successful communication of research means that important messages are received by the wider community. In this unit, students develop skills associated with communicating and disseminating research, both their own and the work of others. We study the ways individuals and organisation find and absorb material, in order to plan a strategy. For instance, we will track how research moves across a social network and visualise the results. New forms of more interactive means of storytelling are also reviewed. Presentation skills, written and oral, to connect with a range of audiences are a focus of the unit. Case studies of successful campaigns inform our assessments.

Unit details

Location:
City Flinders
Study level:
Postgraduate
Credit points:
12
Unit code:
ACG6023

Prerequisites

Students must complete the equivalent of at least 8 units from the postgraduate program in Communication or Digital Media before undertaking this unit

Co-requisites

There are no co requisites

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Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. Propose and position their work within a broader field of research, and frame its outcomes relative to academic and/or industry research agendas;  
  2. Critically evaluate their own work and the research of others;  
  3. Understand the research process from proposal to publication and beyond;  
  4. Confidently and ably communicate their ideas orally and in writing to a variety of audiences  
  5. Understand the ways by which communications research is produced, and its actual and potential contributions to society;  

Assessment

All students undertake assessment task 1. For the second assessment, worth 50%, students produce a portfolio of research communication outputs, such as the following. Selecting from the following formats/delivery vehicles for translational research (or additional ones proposed by students), students complete three minor assessment tasks or one major assessment task, adding to a total wordlength value of 3000 words: Write and deliver a two-minute 'elevator pitch' about their research Develop a media release based on research project (translational research, crowd funding) Publish a short blog of an interview with academic peer/mentor, industry researcher or other, about their research OR Prepare and submit manuscript on research project to postgraduate level journal
Assessment type Description Grade
Portfolio Portfolio submission 1 30%
Portfolio Portfolio submission 2 50%
Exercise Students participate in 6 short online activities 20%

Required reading

Students will read different texts depending on the content of their portfolios. The lecturer will recommend texts relevant to their selections.

Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success.
Belcher, Wendy L. 2009
Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications

Students will read different texts depending on the content of their portfolios. The lecturer will recommend texts relevant to their selections.

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