Developing curriculum for teaching scientific visual communication

Abstract

As we have observed with the current epidemic, there is a significant amount of scientific and medical information that must be delivered to an audience that does not necessarily have the educational background to readily understand and take necessary action to remain safe and healthy. Where many people lack the vocabulary to understand the scientific details of viral transmission and vaccine development, visuals offer the opportunity to cross language and academic barriers to more easily communicate critical health information. We have seen the use of scientific and medical visualization on social media platforms and in the news as a way to share information on Covid-19 outbreaks, safety protocols, and now vaccine distribution. This reliance on strong visual communication indicates a need for universities to be engaged in training students to be effective visual communicators and to enhance visual literacy on their campuses and in their communities. Here we share our experience in developing a course in digital painting that led to academic programs in scientific visualization and pre-medical illustration and a positive impact on the community.Keywords: scientific visualization; medical illustration; service learning; community impactPart of the Special Issue Visual literacies and visual technologies for teaching, learning and inclusion <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.bf2afe2e>