Optics Outreach: Pass/Fail (1 unit) Credit. Students will explore a variety of methods for communicating with the general public about science and optics in particular.  Students are expected to develop and apply the knowledge and skills useful for developing methods for communicating effectively with a wide range of audiences.  The primary audience for applying the skills acquired in this course will be communicating with students in the high school setting. Prerequisite, OPTI 489 or 589.

Instructor:
J. Kevin Erwin
Phone: 626-6284 / Email: kevin@optics.arizona.edu
Office: Optical Sciences / Meinel Bldg, room 434

Course Objectives/Outcomes:

At the completion of this course students will be able to:

• Understand principles of informative communication
• Demonstrate the ability to organize
• Understand, as well as participate in public speaking projects
• Be familiar with a variety of audio-visual applications
• Demonstrate effective presentation skills to audiences in an educational setting
• Create an individual optics project for demonstration purposes

This course requires some assignments, both in and out of class, in order to clarify expectations and to review the progress of projects, e.g., PowerPoint presentations, displays, and projects for demonstration purposes.  Special emphasis will be placed on team projects and the importance of teamwork and how well designed organization and communication strategies promote successful results.  Assignments and projects are expected to be turned in on time and an overview of presentations given to the public are to be turned in to the instructor within a week of the project.

Grading Criteria:

• A variety of materials from the instructor
• Materials as a result of student research
• Class Notes from Instructor