New Electives add cutting-edge skills to the Environmental Communications certificate program
DEL’s Executive Education program is thrilled to introduce a new certificate program in 2013. Environmental professionals can now obtain a Certificate in Environmental Communications by completing a suite of four courses designed to provide comprehensive skills for implementing a successful public environmental initiative. Each course is presented as a six-week online module that includes synchronous class meetings and asynchronous assignments. The certificate program combines two established short courses, Environmental Communication for Behavior Change and Environmental Communications Planning with two new electives, Writing and Social Media.
Social media skills courses are readily available from many universities and training centers. However, DEL’s “Social Media for Environmental Communication” was created specifically for environmental professionals. Our instructors are established as both talented research scientists and pioneers of a successful social media presence across multiple platforms. Dr. Andrew Thaler, Dr. Amy Freitag, and graduate student David Shiffman are close friends and Duke staff/alums who manage the Southern Fried Science blog and Facebook page. In addition, they have published papers and guides on using Twitter for science education and outreach. Social media for Environmental Communications will take place March 25 – May 3, 2013 and you can follow the course progress on the DEL Facebook page, of course!
In June 2013, Nicolette Cagle, a Lecturing Fellow in Duke University’s Thompson Writing Program, will begin instruction for the new module “Writing for Environmental Professionals.” This course is suitable for scientists looking to reach a broader audience or communications specialists in an environmental company. Dr. Cagle says, “Good writing shapes readers’ judgments of your work and alters perceptions of environmental issues. In this course, we learn techniques for clear, well-organized, and audience-centered writing to polish your own writing style, satisfy the needs of demanding readers, and effectively present your content.” Registration for this course is now open!
Written by Allison Besch, Executive Education Senior Program Coordinator