Between Sept 2000 and Sept 2001 I studied for my MSc in Communicating Science
with the University of Glamorgan and the Techniquest Science Centre.
Below is some information on the course itself and a selection of the work
which I did or took part in.
The MSc course
Here you can find information of the MSC course as it was the year that I took it. Sadly I hear that the course is not being run at the moment due to the arrival of a new director. Hopefully it will restart again.
Essay : The World Wide Web In The Classroom
The first essay of the course. I decided to have a look at the ways in which the internet was being used in the classroom.
Group Project : Communicating Science Through Interactive Exhibits
For this project we designed and built prototype exhibits for an exhibition
of our own creation. We then produced a report consisting of a group
section and then our own write up of two of the exhibit ideas.
The MSc Camp-in 2001 "Tomb Raiding at Techniquest"
Part of the MSc tradition was the running of a Camp-In during national Science Week. We decided on the theme of Ancient Civilizations and then created shows and workshops to entertain throughtout the night.
Essay : Evaluation of the Techniquest Web Terminals
Here I had to evaluate a learning technology/envirnoment. I decided to look at the use of web terminals within the HuB area of Techniquest.
Workshop : National Science Week BAYS Day
Again for National Science Week we were asked to provide some workshops for a local BAYS Day.
Dissertation : "How Science Fiction influences the public's understanding of Science and Technology"
Abstract
Science fiction is currently one of the general public's most popular
entertainment genres, appearing in the form of literature, television
and film. It is sometimes seen as a science communication tool that can
be used to approach the issues of science and technology, both in their
own right and in their interactions with society. Many practitioners
currently advocate such an application, whilst others believe it to be
misplaced. But in the midst of this debate, how do the general public
believe that science fiction affects their understanding of science and
technology?
A study of literature and expert interviews combined to produce a number
of expectations of how science fiction does affect the public's understanding
of science and technology, and also of how the general public themselves
would perceive it has affected them. The opinions of the general public
were then surveyed through the use of a questionnaire carried out in
the centre of Cardiff.
The study finds that science fiction does appear to play a part in the
public's understanding, but that the public themselves seem either to
not realise or deny the effect. Many of the results followed the expert
expectations, with a number of strong trends appearing in the data. Now
further study is required with a larger sample of the population.
( Full text of dissertation )