Degree Programs & Courses Competencies for the (digital) future

Future competencies

Critical thinking - Arguments and source analysis as a means against fake news

Programs protect against computer viruses, but not against disinformation. Currently, only critical thinking and the new KDZ learning unit can help against this.

 

Populism, conspiracy theories and alternative facts have always existed. What is new, however, is their rapid spread in the digital media, and the likelihood of encountering them unnoticed on the internet has never been greater. The ability to distinguish false claims from true statements is therefore becoming crucial, which is fostered by critical thinking and analyzing sources.

To the learning unit (german)
Basic informations
Learning outcomes:

Students will be able to...

  • ... analyse arguments with the help of critical thinking methods.
  • ... recognise known types of conclusions and identify false conclusions.
  • ...  apply criteria that make a source credible.
  • ... distinguish scientific procedures and knowledge from everyday knowledge and pseudoscience.
Duration: 2 hours
Language: German and English
Expert: Prof. Dr. Dr. Claus Beisbart, Institute of Philosophy
Eligibility requirements: Affiliation with a Swiss university
Credit transfer to study program:
 The possibility of crediting the learning unit to one's own study program must currently be agreed upon bilaterally with each respective study program.
Authorship: The learning unit was developed in a cooperation between the Institute of Philosophy, the Learning and Development Unit and the Support Center for ICT-Aided Teaching and Research (iLUB).
Completion: Students receive a confirmation of completion upon successful completion of this learning unit.