Join us in the battle against disinformation Erasmus Project

Project Title

Join us in the battle against disinformation

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic we have been challenged with a huge volume of intentional online misinformation about the virus itself, about its origins, about potential treatments, and about government responses. This parallel “infodemic” has been spread by individuals, various organizations, media outlets (e.g. Russia Today, Fox News) political leaders and even governments. And especially at turbulent period like this, false health information can be extremely dangerous and have violent outcomes. More than often “fake health news” are strongly tied to political, ethnic/racial and class bias. Nearly 90% of such “news” are spread in social media and other digital channels of communication.The project “Join us in the battle against disinformation” is based on the production of 3 intellectual outputs, translated into 9 languages (EN, IT, TK, RO, GR, LT, BG, SP, RU) with the following characteristics and impact expected.
– Online Manual for School Teachers against Fake News (O1) a 240 pages e-book targeted on school Teachers including methodologies for favouring critical and lateral thinking among students through problem-solving exercises focused on Fake News debunking, A psychological test dedicated in identifying students at risks for being subject to negative effects of fake news, a gamification methodology for debunking, lateral thinking, critical thinking detection of fake news led by school teachers and Practical examples and exercises for teachers designed to explain the effect of fake news in the several fields of teaching for the dedicated integration into classic school programmes
– Massive Open Online Course for Fake News Detection among School Students (O2) – a MOOC dedicated to improving students capacities to correctly identify fake news and to improve learning of school programmes through an innovative methodology, including 32 problems to be solved referring to subjects studied at school and 16 lectures for increasing fact checking approach, debunking, lateral and critical thinking
– Motivational Research Study for the implementation of School Programmes against Fake News (O3) a 160 pages document research study designed to motivate policy makers in the production and continuous update of important regulations for favouring school programmes against fake news, demostrate the effectiveness of school programmes against fake news, motivate schools in the implementation of programmes against fake news, increase general awareness of professionals in the importance of preventing fake news and favouring fact checking among school students and the general population
The project is based on the innovative methodology of gamification applied to the detection of fake news. The promotion of critical thinking, civic and social responsibility among school students is the final goal of the project, which are characteristics useful also in the future workplace and for their engagement in society.
Primary target groups of this project are School Students (age: 14-18) and School Teachers which can directly exploit the intellectual output produced
Secundary target groups are policy makers, psychologists, educators
The partnership include a wide european partnership including 8 partners, which will offer project is focused on the contrast to fake news promoting Exchange of know-how and a Comprehensive approach to a phenomena should be faced internationally. The cooperation of institutions from different countries will give an additional contribution to the understanding of the phenomena and strategies to apply in order to reduce the negative effects produced. An Exchange of information and the study of policies and prevention practices from different countries will allow partners to understand their strenghts and weaknesses and promote innovative solution to prevent risks associated to fake news.
The partners will both use existing internal databases (>75000 users) and external strategies for continuous involvement of external stakerholders, including: 16 dissemination events and 8 multiplier events (expected participation > 400), website, social media page, e-mail campaigns and autoresponder, press release, dissemination through the official website of the project.The impact expected is related to increased competences of Teachers and capacity of schools to implement programmes of prevention about fake news. The school students which will benefit directly from the exploitation of a MOOC for stimulating fake news detection and critical thining, and indirectly from the dedicated lectures of school Teachers, inspired by O1. Participating organisations, will benefit from the project increasing their competences, capacities, internationalisation and reputation.
The plan of dissemination and valorization of the intellectual outputs will reach a broad audience including: school students, school Teachers, School directors, psychologists, decision and policy makers.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 188015 Eur

Project Coordinator

ASSOCIATION DE COOPERATION AL DESAROLLO ABARKA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• SC PSIHOFORWORLD
• Namoi
• Kapadokya Egitim ve Arastirma Dernegi
• 5o GYMNASIO VOLOU
• International Institute of Applied Psychology and Human Sciences associazione culturale
• Vilniaus technologiju mokymo centras
• PGI D-r Ivan Bogorov