During the last year of the project, 34 renowned researchers from 9 European universities and institutions developed an expert and thorough university course entitled "Tackling Disinformation and Promoting Digital Media Literacy through Education and Training". The comprehensive programme includes 60 hours of immersive learning, divided into two parts: 30 hours of practical classes and 30 hours of self-guided exploration, offering a combination of theory and practical application.
Drawing inspiration from the latest educational frameworks and the digital needs of tomorrow, the curriculum is divided into 10 dynamic modules that will unlock new possibilities for teaching in the digital world
- Module 1 – Introduction
- Gain an insightful overview of the course, its objectives, and the powerful methodologies behind it.
- Module 2 – Disinformation: What Are We Talking About?
- Learn to distinguish disinformation, explore key concepts like participatory culture, echo chambers, and the filter bubble, and see how disinformation threatens democracy, democratic institutions and equal digital participation.
- Module 3 – More Key Terms and Definitions
- Dive into essential digital media literacy terms like troll, phishing, cheapfake, deepfake, and verification. With an interactive glossary and hands-on activities, students will not only grasp these concepts but also develop the skills to spot and tackle disinformation in the digital world.
- Module 4 – Setting the Scene for Teaching and Learning in the Digital School Environment
- Learn how to create a safe space for discussing sensitive topics and understand your role in guiding these important conversations with your students.
- Module 5 – Assessing and Evaluating Digital Media Literacy at Schools
- Gain practical tools and strategies to evaluate and enhance your students’ digital skills.
- Module 6 – Explore the Key Media Practices of Children and Students
- Get to know why connecting with your students’ digital lives matters, and how their online experiences shape their worldviews. Discover a framework for analysing their media habits and interactive activities to help them reflect on their own media behaviours in a fun way!
- Module 7 – Teaching Digital Media Literacy and Tackling Disinformation
- Equip your students with critical media skills! Find out how to help students understand media texts, spot bias, use fact-checking techniques and create responsible media, empowering them to become digital citizens.
- Module 8 – Building Digital Media Literacy Competences in the Classroom: Digital Citizens
- Learn how to equip students with essential digital media literacy skills, focusing on responsible online behaviour, critical thinking and safe digital practices.
- Module 9 – Students in All Their Diversity
- Gain insights on how to address diversity in the classroom, understanding its importance and how disinformation impacts different social groups. Practical activities are included to help engage students and foster inclusive learning environments.
- Module 10 – Practical Examples of Lesson Plans
- Learn about an instructional model to help teachers create effective lesson plans and offers practical examples that can be used, adapted or serve as inspiration to guide students toward becoming responsible digital citizens.
All the modules mentioned above are accompanied by suggested teaching methods and tools suitable for our target group and consistent with the course goals.
The curriculum is available in 6 languages (EN – BG – EL – IT – PL – RO).
A summary of the first year of activities is available in the form of a newsletter on the Teachers 4.0 Digital project website.
Source: Teachers 4.0 Digital project team
Edit: Faculty of Management, University of Lodz