HOW TO TARGET FALSE INFORMATION SOURCES ONLINE
What problems were being addressed?
- The abundance of false information available on the web
- The need for students to reference newsworthy websites
Who was involved?
The Maynooth University EDTL Team consisted of the Project Lead, Morag Munro, who was based in the office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning, and EDTL student intern, Robin Meyler.
Why did you choose to address the challenges this way?
- Students may respond better to video tutorials and colourful infographics
- Many students interact with social media
How were the goals achieved?
After summer 2020, the Maynooth University EDTL Team became aware of an issue staff were having with the factuality of the online sources their students were referencing. The problem posed a threat to the academic integrity of their students’ work, as well as highlighting the abundance of false information available to students.
It was clear that students needed to be advised on how to recognise the reliability of online sources, while staff needed to clearly document and communicate the resources they wanted their students to work from. The MU EDTL Intern, Robin Meyler, set out to bridge this divide and began by creating infographics and videos that were posted on Maynooth Students’ Union (MSU) social media accounts.
Interesting Insight:
The information students needed was already available on leaflets – but the MU EDTL Student Intern, Robin, understood that the student population was overwhelmed with information. If the MU EDTL Team wanted to tackle the issue, they were going to have to reach students by utilising the platforms they interacted with.
The RADAR Framework – a tool to evaluate the quality, credibility and relevance of any
source of information – was one of the most important resources that was detailed in this
social media campaign. Here are the pillars of The RADAR Framework:
R – Relevance
A – Authority
D – Date
A – Appearance
R – Reason
Another application the MU EDTL Team encouraged students to incorporate into their studies was NewsGuard: a browser extension that displays red and green rating icons next to links on search engines, social media feeds and other platforms. It promised students the opportunity to assess the sources that they intended on using, therefore ensuring the integrity of their work.
During Academic Integrity Week 2021, the MU EDTL Team focused on encouraging conversations around academic integrity. They also created awareness around the issue of false information, as well as The RADAR Framework and the NewsGuard extension, by talking to staff and students, explaining the benefits and answering any questions.
The series of videos and infographics were also shared amongst MU academics, who were able to pass the information onto their students and help them avoid any further confusion. The content was also uploaded to the EDTL project website, where it was then available to the entire nation.
“It was clear that students needed to be advised on how to recognise the reliability of online sources”