Table 1.

Writing Course goals and learning objectives

Writing Course Goals
Recognize the style, format, and content of scientific papers
Write clearly and concisely about an independent research project
Present complex scientific ideas/data to both a scientific and general audience
Provide constructive feedback to peers and improve interpersonal skills
Develop critical thinking skills
Strengthen skills in science communication (reading, writing, presenting)

Learning Objectives
Category 1 – Independent summer research project	Category 2 – Science literacy and general communication skills
Define the main question and hypothesis of an independent research project Briefly describe the methods used to complete a research project Generate appropriate PowerPoint presentations for presenting the research Develop and conduct a chalk talk for the research project Format raw data into figures and tables for a research report Draft and revise a research report about the project Draft and revise a short PowerPoint presentation to convey the research to a diverse audience	Identify the hypothesis from a primary literature article Describe the sections of a primary research article and what information should be in each section Understand the importance of an “elevator pitch” for quickly summarizing a topic Learn effective speaking etiquette when giving an oral presentation Demonstrate how to cite articles and use in-text references Provide constructive feedback to peers following their presentations Accept feedback from peers/instructors and adjust a presentation accordingly

The writing course helps students develop skills related to science literacy and communication. Course goals are listed. Students achieve these goals by completing learning objectives related to their independent summer research projects (category 1) and general communication skills (category 2).