Applied Communication, 6 credits

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree worth at least 180 credits. At least 10 credits should be in mathematics and at least 20 credits in life sciences (such as cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology, gene technology, or molecular biology). Proficiency in  english equivalent to English B/English 6.

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Regarding knowledge and understanding

• explain central principles regarding scientific communication (oral, written and visual) and bioethics,

Regarding competence and skills

• hold structured oral presentations using rhetorical tools, the most efficient arguments, and the vocabulary required to reach out to different audiences within and outside the research community,
• use the structure and language appropriate for a scientific article,
• summarise in writing, in the form of an abstract, a scientific article within the biomedical research field
• operate a presentation software and design a scientific poster,
• analyse and present ethical dilemmas, including global justice, related to the biomedical or clinical research fields.

Regarding judgement and approach

• review and critically assess scientific presentations, including reflecting on concepts of gender equality, diversity, equal opportunities and cultural aspects,
• show a professional, scientific and ethical attitude to presentations of experimental and clinical data or other life science‐related information.

The course is centred around basic applied communication topics within the biomedical field. Bioethics is also covered.

The teaching includes lectures (live and online), group tuition, and project work and exercises at group and individual levels.

The examination consists of a written and/or oral presentation of case studies related to biomedical ethics, a written task in scientific writing, an oral presentation and the oral presentation of a groupproduced poster. The grades for each assignment are Pass (G) / Fail (U). To obtain a grade of Pass for the course, the student must obtain the grade of Pass for all assignments.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory sections of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills,
knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Compulsory participation
Group or individual assignments in biomedical ethics and in poster production, exercises in scientific writing and oral presentations (rhetoric, poster production) are compulsory. The course director assesses if and, in that case, how absence can be compensated. Before the student has participated in all compulsory parts or compensated absence in accordance with the course director's instructions, the student's results will not be registered in LADOK. Absence from a compulsory activity may result in that the student cannot compensate the absence until the next time the course is given.

Limited number of examinations or practical training sessions
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. If the student is not approved after four examinations, he/she is recommended to retake the course at the next regular course date, and may, after that, participate in two more examinations. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new
admission is provided.

The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is regarded as an examination. An examination, for which the student registered but not participated in, will not be counted as an examination.

The course language is English.