Each day, we face an information overload with claims, facts and figures flowing across screens faster than we can check them. This is fertile ground for inaccurate reports and “fake news” to abound. When presented with seemingly limitless sources and channels of information, it’s hard to know who and what to trust in relation to our health or our governments. Never has the ability to critically assess and communicate information been more important. So, what can universities to do equip students, staff and the wider public with the tools and knowledge they need to understand the complex nature of evidence, invite varied perspectives and seek the truth?
Do universities teach students to think critically?
OECD researchers offer evidence that students aren’t getting ‘generic skills’ needed for world of work – with potentially big implications
September 6, 2022
Tom Williams
Twitter: @TWilliamsTHE
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Source: istock
Professional services giant PwC’s recent announcement that new recruits will no longer require at least a 2:1 degree was seen by many as the latest sign that some of the world’s largest employers are losing faith that a good university qualification guarantees a candidate of a certain quality.
The firm is by no means the first to look for new ways of determining the talent and potential of recent graduates as employers become increasingly vocal about the supposed failures of even the top universities to ensure that those entering the workforce have obtained the status of being “job-ready”.
In response, governments and policymakers around the world have emphasised the need for more practical, vocational degree courses that are closely tied to real-world experiences. But a new publication from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) argues that it is in the teaching of more generic critical thinking skills where universities can make the most difference.
From the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, misinformation is rife worldwide. Many tools have been designed to help people spot misinformation. The problem with most of them is how hard they are to deliver at scale.
But we may have found a solution. In our new study we designed and tested five short videos that “prebunk” viewers, in order to inoculate them from the deceptive and manipulative techniques often used online to mislead people. Our study is the largest of its kind and the first to test this kind of intervention on YouTube. Five million people were shown the videos, of which one million watched them.