UndergradSkiller: Skill Set Map for Undergraduates and Their Educators

INFORMATION LITERACY AND DIGITAL SAFETY: News and Media Literacy

Misinformation and Fact-Checking

Misinformation and disinformation spread rapidly online, and the rise of deepfake technologies adds new dimensions to the challenge. The resources below introduce practical fact-checking methods and tools for identifying manipulated content.

Useful Resources on Misinformation and Fact-Checking:

Glick, J., & Harrell, D. F. (2021). Media literacy in the age of deepfakes. MIT OpenCourseWare. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-cms-001-media-literacy-in-the-age-of-deepfakes-spring-2021/

Annotation: Three-part learning module covering misinformation and deepfake media. Includes defining and contextualizing key misinformation terms, examining the proliferation of deepfakes, and exploring synthetic media for civic good. Uses the award-winning deepfake art installation In Event of Moon Disaster as a case study.

Caulfield, M. A. (2017). Web literacy for student fact-checkers. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.pub/webliteracy/

Annotation: Textbook teaching a practical fact-checking method for students built around “four moves and a habit”: check for previous work, go upstream to find the original source, read laterally, and trace claims. Covers evaluating websites, identifying sponsored content, reverse image searching, verifying social media accounts, and avoiding confirmation bias.

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

2.1. Contextualizing Information Literacy

2.2. Using Library Resources
2.2.1. Finding and Accessing Resources
2.2.2. Research Guides and Tutorials

2.3. Source Evaluation

2.4. News and Media Literacy
2.4.1. Media Literacy

2.4.2. Misinformation and Fact-Checking

2.5. Artificial Intelligence
2.5.1. Understanding AI
2.5.2. Evaluating AI
2.5.3. AI Terminology
2.5.4. AI Ethics

2.6. Online Safety
2.6.1. Avoiding Scams and Fraud
2.6.2. Data Privacy and Protection
2.6.2.1. Understanding Data Privacy
2.6.2.2. General Data Protection Regulation
2.6.3. Information Security
2.6.4. Digital Safety
2.6.4.1. Understanding Online Harms
2.6.4.2. Protecting Yourself Online
2.6.5. Cyberbullying
2.6.6. Ethical Social Media

2.7. Copyright

 

Author: Leeanne Irwin

Peer Reviewer(s): None