RMIT offers a ‘micro-credential’ called Fact Check, which was created to teach students some media literacy skills, particularly being able to check whether a news source is accurate and trustworthy. It also shows students how to discern when pictures or videos are manipulated, or generated by Artificial Intelligence (deepfakes).

There was a quiz at the end to see how much we had learned, and I got 19/20. I’m not too sure if it was better or worse than I thought I’d get; but some questions were worded vaguely, which made me feel like I was just guessing some answers. With that being said, I don’t know if I’m the target market of the credential, as I already understood much of what was discussed inside.

Before completing the credential, I never really thought about the differences between primary and secondary sources. I also believed that fact-checking and debunking were essentially the same thing, and were done concurrently.  While there are certainly some similarities, they seem to have different roles, and examine different types of claims. Sites like Snopes showing both fact checking and debunking don’t help the confusion.

As I already had some prior knowledge about disinformation and bias, I’m not sure if the credential alone will change my media engagement to a large degree; however, I believe that the lessons taught in the cred will change how I find information when doing research while studying, as I have more of an understanding of when to choose between primary and secondary sources.

I believe that Fact Check is a useful course to take, especially if you are learning how to do research at an academic level; or need a refresher due to changes in the media environment. In my opinion, it would be a useful credential for students in first year alongside lessons in academic research; as well as for mature age students, who may not be familiar with the current media landscape.