[Air-L] Free online course and Student Challenge about media, cognitive biases and online extremism

[cbouko]

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Dear Air-L community,

As part of the *EU-funded counter-radicalization project* *PRECOBIAS*, we
are launching an international student challenge to encourage students to
follow our *free online course (MOOC)* on the psychological mechanisms
behind online propaganda. This MOOC was developed by researchers from LMU
Munich and Ghent University, and we believe that it can be a very
interesting pedagogical resource for your students. We would like to invite
you to share the student challenge (more info below) or include the MOOC in
your own lessons.

*Why this student challenge?*

Dealing critically with the overload of information on social and online
media is one of the most important skills for young adults growing up in
this digital age. By educating students of psychology, social work, media
or education, PRECOBIAS wants to develop and *strengthen digital resilience*
and raise awareness about the *cognitive mechanisms behind online extremist
discourse*.

*What is the MOOC about?*

This course takes a cognitive approach to radicalization and aims to reveal
the mental processes that are activated when people are confronted with
extremist online content. During a *12-hour program*, which they can start
at any moment and follow at their own pace, participants are introduced to
key theories surrounding extremism, and gain insights into the principles
of information processing and automatic thinking. The course then explores
how extremist online content can fuel radicalization processes by
triggering cognitive biases, and how helping developing a critical and
resilient attitude can play a key role in counter-extremism. The
course is *available
in 8 languages* (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian,
Polish and Slovak).

*How does the challenge work?*

The challenge will be promoted through the PRECOBIAS project Facebook page.
We will target students internationally and encourage them to take part in
the MOOC, send us a selfie with their MOOC certificate and share the
challenge among their Facebook friends. Throughout the month of *November*,
we will draw a *weekly winner* at random, and this person will receive a
prize worth 250 euros (Sony headphones, Garmin smart watches or theme park
tickets).
Of course, the MOOC will still be available after the end of November.

Feel free to contact me for any question or comment.

Best wishes,

Catherine Bouko
PRECOBIAS Student Challenge on Facebook
<https://ugent.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c0709015288f63648a89af41c&id=11e55b2450&e=b890d56100>
PRECOBIAS free online course
<https://ugent.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c0709015288f63648a89af41c&id=8e0c79589f&e=b890d56100>
[image: Facebook]
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[image: Twitter]
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[image: Link]
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[image: Website]
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-- 
Catherine Bouko

Ghent University
Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Groot-Brittanniëlaan 45
9000 Gent
Belgium
Bureau: B2.06
http://research.flw.ugent.be/en/catherine.bouko