Developing Student Presentation Skills in an Introductory-Level Chemistry Course With Audio Technology

The perception that science knowledge is just for science majors and that presentations are just for communication majors is antiquated at best. The calls from science professionals, business professionals, and governments have shown the need to bridge that believed gap between two unique fields—scientists need to be able to present their findings in a format that is understandable by laypersons, and communication specialists need to be able to present their findings to scientists. To change this perception for students especially, participation of a variety of disciplines and levels of faculty needs to be encouraged. The objective of this article is to explain and provide rubrics for science and communication faculty as a means to help nonscience students, in basic science classes, understand that proper communication and presentation skills are a necessity in all courses and future walks of life.