Through Scenario-Based Role-Plays
Dr Erik Brogt & Dr Jacqueline Dohaney

Erik Brogt, Jacqueline Dohaney, Tom Wilson,
Mark Quigley, Ben Kennedy, Brendon Bradley
– University of Canterbury
Emma Hudson-Doyle, David Johnston – Massey
Jan Lindsay – University of Auckland
Educational researchers, Geologists, Engineers,
Risk Communication and Hazard researchers

 Graduates have poor communication skills
 Communication not embedded systematically or explicitly in tertiary science / engineering curricula
 Poorly constrained communication best practices
 Poorly constrained communication performance measures
Disaster context – Crucial skill needed in times of crisis and business-as-usual. Expectations from the public and policy-makers that scientists must communicate well.

Civil Defence
Emergency
Management
How can we prepare/prime society?
What does this mean?
What should I do to be ‘safe’
Seismologists and Geologists
Will this lead to a future Alpine Fault
EQ?
Responding to an event
Business
What should we do to survive, and thrive?

What variables contribute to communication?
Communication
Performance
Communication
Experience
Scientific
Content
Knowledge
Perceived
Communication
Competence
Perceptions of Science
Communication

How can we assess communication performance?
Proxies for performance (i.e., variables to explore...)
Communication Competence (i.e., confidence)
Communication Experience
Perceptions of Science Communication
Earthquake Content Knowledge
Measures (Self-reported questionnaires)
-> Competence Survey (SPCC; validated)
-> Experience & Perceptions Surveys (created for this study)
-> Earthquake scenario pre-post interview

How can we assess communication performance?
(Actual) Communication Performance
Observations and in-class performances (i.e., press conferences, interviews, media statements)
Pre-post communication interviews (videotaped)
Scored with validated rubric (2PS)

 Real-time feedback, authentic, active
 Flexible: pace, scaffolding and difficulty can be adjusted on the fly
 Complexity and cognitive load under the control of facilitators
 Can serve different target audiences
 Previously designed and tested SBRP: Volcanic
Hazards Simulation
 Established method in other fields (e.g. business, medical sciences, military)

Explain and communicate (in plain speak) the geology of a given earthquake event.
Predict, list and describe impacts to infrastructure and society from a large earthquake near
Greymouth NZ.
Propose appropriate recommendations to the public before, during and after an earthquake event

Compose and deliver multiple formats and styles of communications and to diverse stakeholders.
Effectively communicate the scientific uncertainties associated with an ongoing earthquake event and the likelihood of a future earthquake event.
Communicate effectively in all scenarios.
Criteria for effectiveness includes information which is organised, accurate, relevant, readily understood and delivery which is competent and culturally inclusive.

Providing experience and feedback to learners
 Learners’ confidence with communicating improves
 Multiple opportunities to watch and participate in authentic communication styles, formats, and contexts
– Interviews, Team discussions, Press conferences
– Participants will have a higher confidence with science communication
 Quality of communication increases
– Appropriate to stakeholders information needs
– Appropriate to stakeholders’ backgrounds
– Transparency of decision-making

 Robust science communication measures
 Flexible curricular design with can be used in different contexts, with different users

 Learning goals discussed with instructors and defined
 Basic version of simulation developed
 Tested in four iterations (to different groups of students, and instructors)
 Communication proxies in development
 Two international conference presentations given as well as several international research talks

 Data analysis of the first version of the simulation underway
 Data gathering for research purposes in the next few months

Contacts:
Erik Brogt erik.brogt@canterbury.ac.nz
Jackie Dohaney jdohaney@gmail.com