Handbook

Good communication skills are required in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, aviation, and many other disciplines. Whether written, verbal or visual, communication is paramount for ensuring safety and efficiency in key areas such as aviation and medicine. Students must be able to craft their messages into different shapes for different audiences, whether they are writing a lecture, report, research paper, or presenting to peers or public audiences. These skills are not only helpful for learning at university, but are also essential for a successful career.

This course provides a combination of theoretical and practical learning. Self-paced weekly lessons are designed for students to learn foundational knowledge and include activities to reflect on their understanding of key concepts. Live, online classes are conducted weekly to encourage students to build upon the concepts that they have learnt in the lessons, engage in higher-order thinking, and interact with peers and disciplinary experts.

Students are provided with the opportunity to engage in develop essential communication skills including effective note-taking, active listening and learning, reading critically, writing succinctly in the narrative, descriptive and academic styles, the steps in university essay writing, using grammar effectively to improve writing, and the anatomy of a compelling presentation tailored to audiences. Students also learn how to research topics, including searching for and evaluating primary literature and the weight of evidence from secondary sources on the Internet.