Many of you will know that in collaboration with the University of Queensland we created and ran the massive open online course (MOOC) "Denial101x - Making sense of climate science denial" on the edX platform. Within nine years - between April 2015 and February 2024 - we offered 15 runs of our MOOC, most of them long-running versions in self-paced mode but also a few delivered as shorter paced versions with new lectures starting on a weekly schedule.
Sharp-eyed observers may have noticed that there was no announcement made last year in February about a next run after the one started in 2023 ended. As the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end" and this is what happened last year when the university decided to no longer offer Denial101x on the edX-platform.
Our MOOC took an interdisciplinary look at climate science denial. We explained the psychological drivers of denial, debunked many of the most common myths about climate change and explored the scientific research into how to respond to climate misinformation. With all the misinformation and outright lies still being repeated about climate science - not to mention many other topics in this age of fake news - our MOOC provided the knowledge to spot and the tools to effectively counter them.
A poster about Denial101x has been presented at various conferences and you can glean at least a rough idea about our MOOC's content from it (click the image for a larger version or download the poster as a PDF-file, but with 26MB it's fairly large):
To explore in greater details what all we covered in Denial101x, please click on the graphic below to open an interactive PDF file created for a conference presentation in 2021.
We received a detailed course exit report and have extracted some highlights from that about Denial101x:
Participants were asked what the most favorite part of Denial101x was for them and here is a summary of some of their quotes:
Learners appreciated various aspects of the course. Many found the course structure and video format to be beneficial for their learning experience, highlighting the short video length and the clear, consistent debunking process. The interdisciplinary nature of the course and the breadth of experts were also commended by learners.
A significant number of respondents expressed appreciation for the course content, including the cheat sheets on identifying fallacies, the interactive map activity, and the inclusion of climate scientists' perspectives. The integrity, transparency, and credibility of the information presented were also frequently mentioned as positive aspects of the course.
Overall, the feedback indicates that participants found Denial101x to be well-organized, informative, and engaging. They valued the opportunity to learn from experts, engage with the material through interactive activities, and gain a deeper understanding of climate science and the denial of climate change.
Participants were also asked how they plan to use what they learned in Denial101x. Here is a summary of what they mentioned in the end of course surveys:
Participants intended to utilize the knowledge and resources from our MOOC in diverse ways. Many plan to share the course materials with friends, family, and colleagues, aiming to raise awareness and counter climate change denial within their social and professional circles. Some participants, including educators and climate reality leaders, intend to integrate the course content into their presentations and teaching, thereby disseminating the information to broader audiences.
Furthermore, participants plan to leverage the course materials in their own academic and professional pursuits. Researchers intend to use the knowledge to support their publications and anticipate counterarguments, while those working on climate change initiatives plan to utilize the tools and information to bolster their projects and outreach efforts.
Overall, the responses indicate that participants envision applying the learnings from Denial101x in various personal and professional contexts. They aim to combat misinformation, educate others, and contribute to climate action through presentations, teaching, research, and community engagement.
Here is a video compilation of statements recorded by some participants and published in 2015, the first year we had offered Denial101x almost 10 years ago:
[youtube id="OUv6vrDC-5k"]
Even though our MOOC has now unfortunately come to a close, many of the resources we created for it are still and will remain available:
Please let us know in the comments or via our contact form if and when you participated in Denial101x and how you used what you learned afterwards. We are keen to know if any of the plans mentioned in the end-of-course surveys actually came to pass and how they worked out!
Posted by BaerbelW on Monday, 7 April, 2025
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