Program Overview

Digital Source Criticism

Course Description

The course provides tools to navigate critically in a world of facts, claims, and arguments encountered in various media. Students will explore how the scientific mindset is reflected in academic literature and what distinguishes information from misinformation. They will learn simple techniques for finding and evaluating information, claims, and sources, and how to use these in academic writing. Additionally, students will become familiar with how to approach AI tools like ChatGPT.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

• Identify academic core values
• Describe principles for source criticism and critical reflection on science and science communication
• Explain why and how others' work is used in one's own academic work
• Recount basic rules for copyright in an academic context
• Account for opportunities and challenges related to the use of AI tools in studies

Skills

• Use relevant methods for critically evaluating scientific information in various media
• Navigate efficiently in the range of academic literature and sources using suitable search tools
• Use others' work in their own academic work, including creating references and a reference list in accordance with academic standards

General Competence

• Demonstrate an understanding of scientific attitudes and the importance of a source-critical perspective on all information, regardless of subject, medium, and methodology
• Show insight into what it means to be part of the academic community

Course Details

Credits and Duration

• 0 credits
• The course is structured as a digital online course that students complete at their own pace, taking approximately 3-4 hours to finish

Study Level

• Introductory course

Teaching Semester

• Autumn and Spring

Place of Instruction

• UiB / Mitt UiB

Prerequisites

• None required
• No recommended prerequisites

Reduction in Credits

• None

Admission Requirements

• Admission to UiB

Forms of Instruction and Work

• The instruction in the course is structured as a digital online course where students go through modules at their own pace
• No obligatory instruction activities

Evaluation Methods

• Participation in the online course and completion of a multiple-choice exam in MittUiB

Grading Scale

• Pass / Fail

Evaluation Semester

• Autumn and Spring

Literature List

• All course content is available in Mitt UiB, and there is no additional literature for the course

Course Evaluation

• The course is evaluated annually

Responsible Department

• University Library in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy and first-semester studies

Administrative Responsibility

• University Library