Golden Apple Award for Educational Project Tackling Misinformation and Pseudoscience

On 25 October, the EVIDENCE project, led by the Centre for Science Education, received the Golden Apple award in the Grand Hall of the Estonian Academy of Sciences - an honour presented annually by the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programme to the best completed projects.

In this case, it was the main award in the category of projects aimed at general education. This recognition also extends to project partners from the University of Cyprus, Umeå University, Kuressaare Vocational Centre, and Antonio Arroio School of Arts. Project leader Katrin Vaino believes that with the created learning environment and guidebook, teachers can now more effectively address socially sensitive topics such as viruses and vaccination, climate change, evolution, and cannabis, as these subjects often circulate misinformation or even conspiracy theories. The learning materials guide students in evaluating the reliability of evidence and recognising common techniques of science denial in media texts. Each module is introduced by a staged short film that humourously illustrates popular (mis)conceptions on the topic. The materials also focus on developing skills in resolving moral dilemmas and making consensus-based decisions - essential skills for tackling global challenges. Interventions have shown that the materials positively impact students' information literacy and help shift their understanding on these topics towards a more evidence-based perspective.

The knowledge and ideas generated by the project (such as how to cultivate scientific thinking to protect against misinformation and support well-considered everyday decisions) have already sparked the development of a new research and innovation project. The created materials and more information about the project can be found here.