Elizabeth Ramsey, associate professor and librarian at Albertsons Library, has completed the Disinfo Squad Handbook, which is available as an open education resource through Boise State University’s Pressbooks.
Ramsey developed the curriculum as an eight-week course that teaches information literacy skills to adults. Over the past academic year, she has worked with the library’s Disinfo Squad to develop the team’s literacy skills. The Disinfo Squad is a group of Boise State undergraduate and graduate students hired to be trained as educators and social media influencers.
The larger project is part of a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security aimed at addressing the disinformation that contributes to extremist beliefs and the deterioration of democracy. It is intended to help adult learners understand the complexities underlying the problem, and develop the skills needed to deal constructively with false and misleading information.
The group is also hosting Disinformed, a limited podcast series that investigates historical disinformation throughout history, like the existence of UFOs and what the public knew about the Holocaust. The podcasts are being recorded in the library’s new podcast studio.