Science Communication Assignment#

As used during the Dynamical Oceanography 2025/26 course at Utrecht University

Assignment description#

You will write a popular scientific article about the virtual expedition.
- This is an individual assignment.
- The length of the article should be between 700 and 1000 words.
- The audience of your science communication article are Physics BSc students.
- You need to include and refer to the findings/results of at least two recent scientific articles on physical oceanography (published after 2020) as background.
- For an example of the style you could use, check out this article (although at almost 3,000 words that article is way longer than expected here), or this article.
- For this assignment, you can use AI for editing and feedback (AI level 3) for the text, and AI is fully permitted (level 5) to create photos of the expedition. You must include an AI disclosure statement (what tools are used and why) and it is required to keep a record of AI prompts used in the assignment. Oral examinations can be conducted on suspicion of non-permitted use of Generative AI.
Submit a first draft of the article to Blackboard by 18 March 13:00.
Every student will provide formative feedback for three other articles. Deadline is Monday 30 March 17:00. This formative feedback will be graded and will count 25% of the mark for this assignment.
You will incorporate the formative feedback where appropriate into a final version of the article and submit that as a pdf on Blackboard by 2 April 17:00.
The articles will be graded by the lecturer and the Teaching Assistants.

Rubric	What is extra?	Sufficient	What is missing?
Physical oceanography of the region		The physical oceanography of the region is clearly explained.
Research motivation		The motivation to do an expedition in this region is clearly articulated.
Explanation of scientific papers		The results of two recent scientific papers on physical oceanography are described and incorporated in the text.
Use of visuals		At least one visual (image, graph, or diagram) is present. It is used effectively to enhance understanding and engagement.
Emotion/personalization		The text has a clear main character and includes reference to (personal) emotions.
Narrative structure		The narrative structure is such that readers are enticed to read to the end of the text.
Writing style		The text is within the word limits, and has few spelling and grammatical errors.
AI disclosure statement		The article has a clear and concise AI disclosure statement.

Target grade when all aspects are sufficient is a 8.0

For an example of the style you could use, check out:

Student name: ________________________

Rubric	What is extra?	Sufficient	What is missing?
Constructive criticism		The peer feedback includes some critical reflections, and these are constructively phrased
Focused on the content		The peer feedback focuses on the writing, not the writer
Specific		The peer feedback points to specific places where the draft can be improved
Prioritized comments		The peer feedback is an ordered list with the most important comments at the top
Considerate and thoughtful		The peer feedback is kind and does not jeopardize social safety (i.e. not ‘ad hominin’)
Writing		The peer feedback is well-written and presented, with no or few grammar and spelling errors

Grade: __ / 10