ABSTRACT
Project YouVerify! built up on project YouCheck!, and scaled up some of its main results. The main objective was to develop a Massive Open Online Course, the MOOC “Disinformation Step by Step”. The MOOC embedded the InVID-WeVerify plugin within MIL strategies to fight disinformation, including quizzes, serious games, etc. The MOOC was conducted in three languages (French, English, and Spanish) and over two iterations (November 2020–January 2021 and February–April 2022). It was concluded by a satisfaction questionnaire (N = 333) that provided insights into three major research questions: RQ1: Can the MOOC experience deliver learning gains and how? RQ2: Can MIL strategies support the fight against disinformation? RQ3: Can MIL engage heterogeneous MOOC participants in the fight against disinformation effectively? The results showed that the MOOC experience was up to the participants’ expectations and resulted in much lower rates of attrition than in most academic MOOCs; MIL strategies fostered the participants’ expectations in terms of their understanding of disinformation mechanisms as well as their use of fact-checking tools and techniques as well as refutation strategies; MIL confirmed its potential to train people massively and effectively.
