UofA - Science Literacy
- Offered byCoursera
Science Literacy at Coursera Overview
Duration | 23 hours |
Start from | Start Now |
Total fee | Free |
Mode of learning | Online |
Difficulty level | Beginner |
Official Website | Explore Free Course  |
Credential | Certificate |
Science Literacy at Coursera Highlights
- Shareable Certificate Earn a Certificate upon completion
- 100% online Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
- Flexible deadlines Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
- Beginner Level There are no prerequisite, but learners should enter the course with an open mind.
- Approx. 23 hours to complete
- English Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish
Science Literacy at Coursera Course details
- Fake news or good science? In a world where we have access to unlimited information, it is hard to sift through the echo chamber of opinions fueled by emotions and personal biases, rather than scientific evidence. Science Literacy will teach you about the process of science, how to think critically, how to differentiate science from pseudoscience, how indigenous wisdom can inform science, how to understand and design a scientific study, and how to critically evaluate scientific communication in the media. Every module will build your new skill-base with real life examples, and at the end of each module you will have to apply these skills to scientific questions, talking points and controversies in the world. Warning: this course requires an open mind and the ability to self-reflect.
- In Science Literacy, you?ll hear from special guests:
- Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and star of Netflix?s ?A User's Guide to Cheating Death? on pseudoscience
- Dr. Torah Kachur, Scientist and CBC journalist on science communication (and miscommunication!)
- Christian Nelson, Citizen Scientist and creator of Edmonton Weather Nerdery, on experimental design
- Metis Elder Elmer Ghostkeeper and Cree Elder Kokum Rose Wabasca, on the holistic nature of Indigenous wisdom and how it can work with the scientific process
- Associate Professor in Psychology, Dr. David Rast on uncertainty and decision making
Science Literacy at Coursera Curriculum
Module 1: Introduction to Science
Welcome to Science Literacy
A Difference of Opinion
Heuristics
Science isn't "Just a Theory"
Traditional Knowledge: Part 1
Traditional Knowledge: Part 2
Traditional Knowledge: Part 3
Creating Convincing Arguments
Drag and Drop Activity: Empirical, anecdotal or logical
Biases in Decision-Making
Drag and Drop Activity: Types of Bias
Science and Not Science
Metaphysical Thought
Drag and Drop Activity: Metaphysical
Accumulating Knowledge
Suggested Reading
Drag and Drop Activity: Traditional and Scientific Knowledge
Empirical evidence
Pre-flection: Common Sense and Intuition
Common sense and intuition
End of Module 1 Quiz
Module 2: Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience and Science-ploitation
Fraud Science, Bad Science or Pseudoscience?
Why do we fall for Pseudoscience?
Drag and Drop Activity: Science vs Pseudoscience
Watch and Reflect: Hallmarks of Pseudoscience
Drag and Drop Activity: Hallmarks of Science vs Hallmarks of Pseudoscience
Logical Fallacies
Drag and Drop Activity: Logical Fallacies
Drag and Drop Activity: Uncertainty Vs Logic
Carl Sagan: The Demon Haunted World
Preflection: Science or Pseuodoscience?
Science or Pseuodoscience? Review
Science, Fraudulent Science or Bad Science?
Uncertainty
Uncertainty Review
Video reflection: Skeptical or not?
The Demon-Haunted World: Reflection
The Demon-Haunted World: Reflection II
The Demon-Haunted World: Reflection III
End of Module 2 Quiz
Module 3: Critical Thinking
Alternative explanations
Correlation is not Causation
Replicability in Evidence
The Strength of Evidence
Falsifiability
Occam's Razor
The Who, What, Why, When and How of Critical Thinking
Thinking Critically about a Claim
Thinking Critically About a Claim 2
Revisiting terms about Correlation-Causation
Article: Illusions of Causality
Drag and Drop Activity: Correlation, Not Causation
Drag and Drop Activity: Replicability
The 3 Rs
Why didn't the bird cross the road?
Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
Watch and Reflect: How did our view of the Universe Change?
Drag and Drop Activity: Claims Proportional to the Evidence
Ylang Ylang Evidence Review
Karl Popper
Drag and Drop Activity: Falsifiability and Risky Predictions
Watch and Reflect: Falsifiability
Onsite inspection of reputed UFO landing marks at Duhamel, Alberta
Drag and Drop Activity: Making Fewest Possible Assumptions
Recommended listening and reflection
Reflection: Critical Thinking or not?
Lesson Reflection
Assessing Associations 1
Assessing Associations 2
Replicability
Why didn't the bird cross the road?
Astronomy Video Reflection
Lesson Preflection: Falsifiability
UFO or UF-NO?
End of Module 3 Quiz
Module 4: Scientific Methods
Variables
Research techniques and models
Sampling
Correlation
What is in a Scientific Paper?
What Can Blind Fish Teach Us About Sleep?
Drag and Drop Activity: Critical Thinking and the Scientific Method
Drag and Drop Activity: Variables
What is a hypothesis
Drag and Drop Activity: Hypothesis testing
Research Design 1
Drag and Drop Activity: Population Sample
Research Design 2
Research Design 3
Drag and Drop Activity: Surveys
Research Design 4
Drag and Drop Activity: Research Design Case Study
End of Module 4 Quiz
Module 5: Interpreting Evidence
Peer Review: the scientist's perspective
Statistics
Science Communication
Sharpening and Levelling
Science Vs Opinions
Scientists can miscommunicate their science too!
Congratulations!
Watch and Reflect: What is Peer Review?
Read a Peer Reviewed Article
Drag and Drop Activity: Evidence Based Conclusions from Primary and Secondary Sources
Watch and Reflect: Descriptive Statistics
How Scientists Use Statistics, Samples, and Probability to Answer Research Questions
Watch and Reflect: Inferential Statistics
Using Inferential Statistics
Drag and Drop Activty: Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
How to avoid statistical errors
When statistical significance is not practically significant
Watch and Reflect: Statistical vs Practical Significance
Drag and Drop Activity: Practical vs Statistical Significance
Watch and Reflect: The Importance of media communicating science
Drag and Drop Activity: Problems and Solutions in Science Reporting
Suggested Listening: Torah Kachur
News Coverage of A Scientific Finding
Drag and Drop Activity: Sharpening, Levelling or Pseudosymmetry
Disparity in claim on social media and strength of supporting evidence
Watch and reflect: Social Media
Watch and reflect: Scientists Communicating Science
Rules for Scientists Communicating Science
Scientists "digesting" their science to a general audience
Writing Your Digest
Drag and Drop Activity: Spreading and Stopping Misinformation
Watch and Reflect: Insist on Evidence- Open Data
Preflection: What is Peer Review?
Assessing the meaning of statistics
Case Study: Biofilm
Abstract and Highlights
News Coverage Article Reflection
Sharpening and Levelling
Open Data
End of Module 5 Quiz
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