UPEN is launching a community of practice for practitioners who use science communication as an assessment method for undergraduates or postgraduates.
To mark the launch of the community we’ll hear from expert science communicators from the UK Parliament. A member of the House of Lords, Oliver Bennett (Head of POST), and Sarah Carter-Bell (Knowledge Exchange Lead) will present an introduction to one of the most popular assessment methods - the POSTnote.
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) at the UK Parliament, is the oldest legislative science advice mechanism in the world. POST bridges the research and policy worlds and provides evidence syntheses that serve and inform the parliamentary community. POST’s flagship briefing is the POSTnote.
POSTnotes are comprehensive, trusted, and impartial briefings read by Members of both Houses of Parliament. They inform parliamentary inquiries, support decision-making, and help parliamentarians to scrutinise government policy. They focus on cutting edge, topical themes, research advances, and policy developments.
POSTnotes present the evidence accessibly and impartially as many parliamentarians do not have a scientific or technological background. The techniques used to prepare them are relevant to researchers and students interested in communicating science to non-specialist audiences more broadly.
Many universities include a policy or practice aspect within students’ final assessments, with the mock POSTnote ‘policy’ briefing being a popular choice. This session will help course leaders understand what POSTnotes are, how they are researched and written, and suggest aspects to consider when assessing students’ mock POSTnotes.
Please note the presenters are not university educators and the presentation will focus on how POSTnotes are created and used within Parliament, to help course leaders determine their own authentic methods of assessment such as a mock POSTnote.
