Transcript Meeting Ocean Scientists` Needs to Improve the Communication of

By: J. Theodore Repa, Touro College ([email protected])
Annette deCharon, University of Maine ([email protected])
Christy Herren, University of Maine ([email protected])
A Presentation at the 2010 Ocean Sciences Meeting
22-26 February 2010
Portland, Oregon
Assumption: Error in the Communication of Ocean Science
Research Is a Given: The Goal Is to Minimize It; Can’t Eliminate It
Sources of Error in the Communication Process-Early Models
 Person A-Scientist (with behaviors, thoughts, feelings, genetics, diet, and culture):
aka-who?
 Communicates a Message: aka-what?
 Via a Channel of Communication: aka-how?
 To Person B-Science Educators (also with behaviors, thoughts, feelings, genetics,
diet, and culture): aka-to whom?
 Time: aka-when?
 Person A, Message, Channel of Communication, Person B and time all sources of
error in communication.
Key Principles to Reduce Communication ErrorEarly Research
 The more similar Person A and Person B are on almost
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any dimension, the more accurate the communication.
Two-way communication is more accurate than oneway communication.
Persons A and B think and feel better about two-way
communication than about one-way communication.
Two-way communication takes more time than oneway communication.
Market researchers spend millions annually figuring
out how to make the what and how of messages more
accurate.
Assumptions: Error in the Communication of Ocean Science
Research is a Given: The Goal Is to Minimize It; Can’t Eliminate It
Sources of Error in the Communication Process-Later Models
 Encoding: aka-why?
 Decoding: aka-with what effect?
 Audience (with behaviors, thoughts, feelings, genetics, diet, and
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culture): aka-to whom?
Physical Environment: aka-where?
Social Environment (norms): aka-where?
Political, and Economic Environment:- aka-where?
All above additional potential sources of error.
Key Principles to Reduce Communication ErrorLater Research
 Visual representations of the message increases the
accuracy of communication.
 There are optimal levels of familiarity and stability of
the various environments that lead to increases in the
accuracy of communication.
 The more similar the scientist (Person A), the science
educator (Person B), and the audience are on almost
any dimension, the more accurate the communication.
What COSEE-OS Has Learned about How to Reduce Error
in Communication of Ocean Science? (Process)
 Spent first five years, using R & D evaluation model,
refining process of working with ocean scientists to
improve communication of their science to science
educators
 Details of model can be found in our Eos article
“Online Tools Help Get Scientists and Educators on
Same Page” (Vol. 90, No. 34, 25 August 2009, 289-290)
What COSEE-OS Has Learned about How to Reduce Error in the
Communication of Ocean Science (Model Principles)
 Adapted from education concept mapping process (way of
visually representing non-linear relationship of science
concepts) (decoding and encoding)
 Provided peer to peer learning environments (ratio 1 scientist to
4-6 science educators) (Person A, Person B, Audience,
Environments, Time, Two-Way Communication)
 Helped scientist refine their science message by drafting concept
map of their presentation using online software tools developed
by COSEE-OS (message and channel of communication)
 Matched scientist with small group of science educators (to
increase similarities between the two)
What COSEE-OS Has Learned about How to Reduce Error
in Communication of Ocean Science? (Data Sources)
 Pre-workshop survey data from scientists and science
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educators
Workshop observations and debriefings
Post-workshop survey data from scientists and science
educators
Web statistics
Roughly six months post workshop semi-structured
interviews with scientists (response rate 63%-17 out of 27
scientists worked with in 2008-09)
February 2010 Scientist Engagement Survey (response rate
81%-25 out of 31 scientists worked with in 2009)
What COSEE-OS Has Learned about How to Reduce Error
in Communication of Ocean Science? (Key Findings)
 The workshop format has led to satisfactory two-way
communication between scientists and science educators
(consistently above 6.0 on a 7.0 scale over multiple
workshops).
 Scientists report using the concept mapping tools easy to
learn and provide a visual, non-linear representation of the
way they think about their science.
 The interactive process and tools allowed scientists to
minimize errors in what they were communicating and
allowed science educators to minimize errors in the
communication of ocean science concepts to their
students.
Questions or Comments?
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J. Theodore Repa ([email protected])
Annette deCharon ([email protected])
Christy Herren ([email protected])
COSEE-OS website (http://cosee.umaine.edu)
COSEE Ocean Climate Interactive
(http://cosee.umaine.edu/tools/oci/)
 Concept Map Builder
(http://cosee.umaine.edu/tools/cmb/)
 DeCharon, A., Albright, J., Herren, C., Cline, A.H., and
Repa, J.T. “Online Tools Help Get Scientists and Educators
on the Same Page.” Eos, vol. 90 (34), (August 25, 2009),
289-290.