Prerequisites for admission.

Access to the programme LM-60 DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE requires a university degree in the class of Sciences and Technologies for the Environment and Nature (L-32) (and corresponding classes relating to D.M. 509/99 or previous four-year/five-year regulation).

Applicants holding a three-year degree in a different class must have obtained at least 70 CFUs in the SDS indicated in the Teaching Regulations of the Degree Programme. The Teaching Regulations also defines the modes for assessing the applicants’ background knowledge.

B1 level of English is also required.

Educational goals

The main and specific purpose of LM-60 DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE is to provide a sound cultural base to students who are willing to master the didactics and communication of science in public and private institutions of all levels (e.g., lower and upper secondary schools subject to passing specific competitions, museums, publishing companies, environmental agencies, parks, etc.). Students shall consolidate their mathematical, IT, and pedagogical knowledge, as well as develop a sound base of scientific culture for the analysis of the structure and operation in space and time of complex structure natural systems. In order to attain these objectives, they will need a strong inter- and intra-disciplinary integration between macroareas in the mathematic-IT, pedagogical, ecological, biological, geological, and chemical field with the acquisition of specific skills for the use of communication and dissemination tools, as well as information tools to deal with the issues relating to didactics and communication of science with a rigorously scientific approach. Students shall demonstrate the ability to work both in a team and independently, by taking on responsibilities for projects and structures, even in executive roles. The teachings include a theoretical part and some laboratory activities, internships may be carried out in schools of any type and grade.

The training programme of LM-60 DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE offers a first year of integrated LEARNING within macroareas in the mathematic, ecologic, biologic, geologic, and chemical field. A programme will follow to learn the modes of communication of science (COMMUNICATING), with teachings that explore the methods and tools of scientific communication, also through a digital approach, sided by teachings on the modes for didactics and communication of the main scientific disciplines, with specific focus on handicap and disability. On the second year, students will put in PRACTICE what they have learnt by carrying out a supervised internship (Practice in Teaching, Education, and Communication: PRoTECT) in a partner institution participating in the training project. The activity is in close synergy with the final examination.

In order to obtain the Master’s Degree, students must have gained 120 CFUs. Some teachings and/or seminars may be held in English in order to facilitate the learning of a scientific discipline in a language other than Italian, and prepare graduates who are able to liaise in an international context.

The knowledge and skills provided by the course are acquired through: traditional lectures, practical exercises, laboratories, seminars, practical activities on the field, laboratory tests, computer exercises, free courses, participation in seminars held abroad, degree thesis prepared both in university facilities and/or abroad in schools, research centres, or qualified educational/communication facilities. Training activities will use flexible teaching methods, also modelled based on the specific needs of the different types of students. Seminars on innovative topics will be offered, as well as specific (even teaching) laboratories for the distinctive disciplines, and self-managed group activities to explore scientific aspects that will be discussed collectively.

The Master’s Degree in DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE (LM-60) is awarded subject to passing a final examination consisting of the preparation and presentation of an original thesis by the student under the supervision of a tutoring professor. The thesis may be written in English, with an extended summary in Italian, and the discussion may be also in English.

Off-campus students and workers may benefit from digital education supports, which will be generated by professors of the individual teachings, also in collaboration with the e-learning centre of the university. Special attention will be given to disabled students, with the collaboration of the Disability Office of the University, in order to prepare the most suitable tools to meet any single need.

Communication skills

Master’s graduates in DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE must be able to communicate their conclusions, knowledge, and related ratio to specialist and non specialist representatives in a clear and unambiguous manner; they must have an in-depth knowledge of the media to carry out a comprehensive bibliographic research both of scientific and informative articles on any specific topic. Graduates in DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE shall have developed high abilities both of analysis of the information, to recognise the most important ones, and of synthesis to describe with proper language and rigour the state of the art of the topic to be dealt with.

The communication skills of Master’s graduates in DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE will enable them to: i) present objectives, concepts, data and work procedures or experimental analysis in a logical, concise, and rigorous way, in various forms and by using different tools; ii) discuss and building relationships with different representatives who may be experts or completely unaware of the scientific/naturalistic issue; iii) consider and respect the points of view and opinions of other members of a group, being them group leaders or simple members; iv) read and effectively translate texts of specific topics in English; v) use IT tools to collect and disseminate data, information, and results.

The envisaged objectives will be attained through: i) group activities to develop in curricular training activities; ii) individual seminars; iii) drawing up and presentation of laboratory reports and campaign activities; iv) the final examination consisting of the preparation and written and oral presentation of a degree thesis.

To further improve their communication abilities, students are encouraged to make use of the various interchange agreements between European Universities to get used to liaise with international contacts under a mobility and communication approach.
To improve communication abilities at international level, some teachings or part of them and some seminars will be provided in English, and students will use texts and IT tools also in English. Student are also given the opportunity to draw up the final written paper in English.

The abilities relating to that indicator are assessed through the oral examinations and the internal seminars, as well as the presentation of the thesis in which a qualified and rigorous scientific communication is implemented.

Making Judgements

Master’s graduates in LM-60 DIDACTICS AND COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE will have gained a high independence of judgement to: i) compare and express their opinion on data and the substance of the information received by various sources; ii) formulate judgements and specific assessments on different issues relating to mathematic and natural science; iii) independently apply the experimental scientific method; iv) assess the results of their own work and of other people’s work in terms of quality and efficiency; v) identify objectives and collective and individual responsibilities, and act accordingly in manner that is appropriate to their role. At the end of the studies, Master’s Graduates will have gained the ability to independently develop an operating project, taking into account any social and ethical implications and the modes to use to combine scientific rigour, effectiveness, and project sustainability.

The objectives envisaged by this descriptor will be achieved throughout the whole training programme, which is based on providing a complete cultural heritage and developing suitable critical abilities in relation with processes and results. Students will be encouraged to develop the ability to critically analyse scientific literature, collect and interpret data and express their opinions strictly based on scientific results. In addition to traditional lectures of curricular teachings, also seminars, laboratories, observations on the field and practical exercises will contribute to achieving this training objective.

The achievement of the objective envisaged by this descriptor will be assessed through: i) written and oral examinations for each teaching based on targeted questions; ii) study activity in the classroom based on critical reading and consequent presentation of topics relating to scientific literature; iii) laboratory activities followed by drawing up personal reports in which students are called to demonstrate their own critical processing ability of the results obtained; iv) the assessment of the preparation, presentation, and personal processing of the data and information dealt with in the final paper.
The overall maturity achieved will be assessed in the final examination, also as independent abilities of judgement and personal processing.

Learning skills

Graduates must be able to learn by means of an adaptable and flexible approach to study and work, to identify programmes for a continuous technical and cultural personal update based on the set objectives.

Learning skills are achieved during the study programme, with specific focus on the individual study, the preparation of individual and group projects, the activity carried out in the internship and the preparation of the final examination.

The learning skills will be assessed through the evaluation of the verification tests of the individual teachings, the internship activities, and the activities involved in preparing, executing and drafting the thesis work associated with the final examination of the programme.