Going Online in Pandemic Time: A DivulgaMicro Workshop Experience

DivulgaMicro is a Brazilian Science Communication and Outreach project run by three young female scientists. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we promoted the first virtual edition of the DivulgaMicro Workshop. Here, we describe adaptations implemented to deliver the virtual edition, and its assessment by the participants. We offered a 3-day workshop addressing manuscript writing and publishing, poster design and oral presentations, and strategies for effectively communicating with the lay public, on the first, second, and third days, respectively. Each daily session was divided into short lectures and active learning through interactive and cooperative activities. We applied pre- and postsession surveys daily to assess participants' learning and an opinion questionnaire at the end of the workshop. We selected 50 of 221 applicants, but only 38 participants took the course. Correct answers were significantly higher (P< 0.01) in the post-session surveys each day. Most of the 34 participants who answered the opinion questionnaire (97%) would recommend the work shop to their colleagues. Participants stated the work chop content was transmitted clearly and straightforwardly and considered the online format suitable for knowledge acquisition. Participants were satisfied with the organization, dynamics, and interactivity. Topics addressed on the third (61.8%) and first days (23.5%) were most liked and were considered most useful in the participants' careers. We believe that the overall success of the workshop is due to the combination or short lectures with active learning activities, the use of virtual platforms that enabled effective communication between participants and instructors, and the support of our collaborators.