A Model Approach to Public Engagement Training for Students in Developing Countries.

Abstract

Early involvement in public engagement activities may enhance undergraduate and graduate students’ long-term interest in science careers and their ability to dialogue with the public about topics of importance to science and society. While several public engagement training programs have been created and implemented in universities in the developed world, such opportunities are limited in developing countries. In their pursuit to develop appropriate public engagement training programs for their students, outreach providers and educators in developing countries will benefit from tried-and-tested training schemes from specific developing country contexts. In this paper, we describe the development, implementation, outcomes and possible extensions to an initiative to train budding scientists in a Ghanaian university to enable them to more effectively interact with the non-scientist public about the relevance of their research and the contribution of scientific endeavors to improving our daily lives. In order to address specific public engagement challenges identified in the target society, the program focuses on training students to become initiators of outreach activities who proactively seek engagement opportunities and can independently develop innovative events particularly for communities with poor public inclination to participate in scientific outreach.