One of the main deliverables of the ERUM project was the production of learning material to foster students’ media and information literacy as well as transversal skills such as critical thinking. In this context, we developed 15 learning modules that focus on issues related to mis- and disinformation and allow for an integration into diverse fields of study. The learning modules address controversially discussed topics that are prone to false information (such as migration, 5G or global warming), provide general knowledge in relation to “fake news”, conspiracy myths and science communication as well as methodological know-how when it comes to visual analysis, reporting on scientific issues or audiences of scientific information.
Some of the developed modules were piloted during our 2nd Intensive Study Programme with students from throughout Europe and all modules were furthermore tested by integrating the learning material into postgraduate and graduate courses of the partner universities’ curricula.
All learning modules share a common organisation, include activities developed with H5P – an open-source collaboration framework – and can easily be embedded in different learning management systems. The modules, produced by the teams of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Cyprus University of Technology, University of Vienna, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Vytautas Magnus University with the support from the University of Alcalá are now available as Open Educational Resources through a central online repository developed by the European University Foundation.The modules include keywords and useful information to support the easy dissemination to interested parties and as well seamless integration into existing courses.
The list below directs you to the respective modules.
Learning modules that provide general knowledge in relation to disinformation, conspiracy myths and science communication:
- Conspiracy Myths: The World of Universal Explanations (lead: University of Vienna)
- Dealing with Public Polarization and Resistance in the Momentum of Global Crisis (lead: Vytautas Magnus University)
- Science Communication: Opportunities and Challenges of Rapidly Changing World (lead: Vytautas Magnus University)
- The Psychology behind “fake news” & applying the Methodology and Mechanisms to detect “fake news” (lead: Cyprus University of Technology)
Learning modules dedicated to controversially discussed topics prone to dis-/misinformation:
- Define, explain and identify: Introduction to “fake news” and 5G Technology (lead: Cyprus University of Technology)
- From Science to Freedom of Speech. Addressing Controversial Issues (in the Classroom) (lead: University of Vienna)
- Media discourses about Climate Change (lead: University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)
- Migration: Facts, Representations, Stories (lead: University of Vienna)
- Science Communication about Arctic Research (lead: University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)
- The Impact of Climate Change in the Arctic (lead: University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)
Learning modules addressing methodological know-how:
- Developing the Methodology to detect “fake news” from fact-checked Articles (lead: Cyprus University of Technology)
- Finding, evaluating, and reporting Scientific Issues – Techniques & Tools (lead: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
- Identifying different Audiences of Scientific Information (lead: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
- Reporting/producing News Stories for Scientific Issues (lead: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
- Every Picture tells a Story: Understanding and practicing Visual Language (lead: Vytautas Magnus University)
Overall information on the learning modules is accessible here.
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