Fighting Health Misinformation

This introductory course examines the foundations of health misinformation and disinformation and how they affect public health. Learners explore the distinction between public and individual health, key drivers of misinformation, and common psychological influences such as confirmation bias and the illusory truth effect. The course introduces core concepts, red flags, and scientific literacy fundamentals, including peer review, retractions, and how vaccines work, to help learners build a strong public health literacy toolkit. This course is part of the "Fighting Misinformation in Public Health" certificate program For more information, visit this page: https://coned.ualberta.ca/public/category/courseCategoryCertificateProfile.do?method=load&certificateId=22473053

• Define misinformation, disinformation, cognitive bias, and prebunking
• Analyze prevalence, drivers, and impacts of health myths
• Design effective, ethical communication strategies to counter misinformation
• Apply digital monitoring and critical evaluation of health information

• Basic computer and internet skills
• Ability to read instructions in English and complete practice activities