Dr. Michael RIVERA

Why higher education must embrace public engagement

The work we do in universities produces great deals of knowledge and influences public life, especially in public policy and through partnerships with organizations and companies outside campus. However, the value of what we do can sometimes be inaccessible to wider publics. In my discipline of biological anthropology, this matters because a great deal of people out there think about health and quality of living, our collective history and heritage, and how our societies are evolving in fast-changing conditions. Public engagement is not only about ‘sharing findings’, but it is an ethical practice of ensuring our work is grounded in lived realities of diverse communities. My course “All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Humans” was conceived four years ago and designed around my sense of duty to create dialogue and build trust with the public. Students see anthropology not only as a scientific field that merges the biological and social, but one that requires careful explanation and engagement with diverse audiences.

Teaching approach

For their final group assignment in this course, there is a science communication assignment in which students translate complex bioanthropological content for a non-specialist audience. They are free to choose the medium and style, whether it is a serious podcast interview with experts, a humorous YouTube video on human evolution, or a kindergarten talk that hopefully gets younger children excited about science. Students work hard to select the concepts and evidence that form their content, and form the right language and representation of these for a targeted audience.

This approach draws on an educational principle known as constructive alignment, where the assessment directly practices the stated learning goal of applying knowledge beyond the classroom. Because these assignments are being exposed to real publics, there are also important pedagogical components of constructivist and experiential learning. Students learn by making mistakes, receiving feedback, adapting and adjusting, and confronting the very gap between what they understand and what they thought an audience could understand. They embody the expert’s job of sharing academic knowledge with wider society.

Learning outcome

Every year, some students are excited for this assignment, but there are also some who feel nervous about developing simplified explanations of complex material. They share with me afterwards that they felt the benefits of tutorial exercises we did, which encourage upholding scientific integrity in their communications while also honing their presentation skills. Many also became more aware of the stakes of biological anthropology, as we touch on ideas regarding human bodies and human development that may affect public beliefs. Students left the course feeling more confident on their understanding of science, their ability to speak on science, and their responsibility to utilize knowledge for social good.

Teacher’s reflection

I have always been a public communicator, ever since I was an undergraduate student myself. It was a series of novels and TV shows on this topic that first inspired me to chase bioanthropology, and so I feel it is part of ‘paying it forward’ to the next generation. Many young people are naturally drawn to topics like evolution, archaeology, and forensic sciences. It has been a privilege to witness students experience our communication exercises and grow braver to face their future challenges. As educators, we only hope that what we do helps students prepare for their careers and shows what the power of intellectual enquiry can do for people in Hong Kong and around the world. Speaking, listening, writing and engaging with diverse stakeholders is an integral task in many professions. We believe more public engagement training benefits students, public audiences, and teachers alike.