UQx: Denial101x Making Sense of Climate Science Denial

1. Is this a paced or self-paced course?

This run of Denial101x is paced. This means that content will be released to you at the start of each week beginning on 9 August at 00:00 UTC (to find out the day/time where you are, see time zone converter).

2. When are the assignments due?

All of the assignments (weekly quizzes, pre and post course surveys and participation checks) must be completed by the end of the course, which is set for 27 September 2016 by 23:30 UTC (to find out the day/time where you are, see time zone converter). Please note that the debunking peer assessment assignment that will be opened in Week 6 of the course will have a series of tasks to be completed prior to the end of the course. More information about these due dates can be found in the Debunking Activity section of the course.

3. How can I check my current grade in the course?

The easiest way to see your current mark in the course is by visiting the Progress tab found at the top of every page. When you visit that tab, you will see a chart at the top of the page that shows your progress in all graded assignments in the course. You will also see a vertical listing of all of the sections of the course, activities and graded assignments. Items labeled as Practice Scores do not count toward your final grade in the course, but they do give you opportunity to practice and apply what you've learned in lectures. Items that do contribute to your final mark in the course are labeled as Problem Scores and have a due date within the vertical list on the page.

4. Why doesn't my progress show up on my progress page, even after I've answered the questions or completed assessments?

Make sure you selected an answer for ALL the questions on the page AND clicked the "final check" button. Your progress is not recorded until you answer all the questions and hit "final check." If you click the "save" button, your answers will be saved for later and you can return to them, but you don't need to save your answers in order for them to be graded.

5. What do I get at the end of the course to acknowledge that I have completed it successfully?

For this course, edX provides two options for registration: Verified and Audit. A verified certificate of achievement shows that you have successfully completed your edX course and verifies your identity through your photo and ID. Verified certificates are available for a fee that varies by course. If you started out auditing the course but wish to upgrade to a verified certificate, simply click the ‘Upgrade to Verified’ button visible on your dashboard. If you audit the course you have access to all course materials but you will not receive any certificate of completion. However, your student progress page will show whether or not you have passed the course.

6. When will I receive my verified certificate?

If you received a verified certificate, it will be available for download through your edX account several days after the date it is processed. For more information, please see the edX FAQ page.

7. Can I edit my response on an assignment after I submit it?

Once you submit your final response it is recorded in the system and it cannot be edited. You can, however, save quizzes and return to submit them later. This course is all about your own learning, so if you would like to revise your responses and keep them elsewhere for your own records, we encourage you to do so.

8. Can I download the videos?

Yes. Please do and share them with others. You can also view all of the full playlists for the course on our YouTube channel.

9. Can I download the transcripts from the videos?

Yes. Under each  video, you should see a link that says 'transcript'. This allows you to download the subtitle text as a .srt file or .txt file. Choose the version you would like and then click Download Transcript for it to begin downloading. You can also copy/paste the captions that appear to the right of the video when you have the closed captioning button selected within edX.

9. What do you mean when you use the terms "denial" and "misinformation"?

In this course, we use the term denial to refer to a process, and we do not use it as a label. Specifically, we're talking about the psychological process of denial, and in the course we look at the scientific research into what drives people to reject scientific evidence. This allows us to explore how cognitive biases result in the various techniques of science denial. Only then can we develop a framework of the different fallacies appearing in the most common myths about climate change. The biases and the framework we use are discussed in detail within Week 1 of the course.

In this course, we also talk about misinformation, which refers to factually incorrect information. However, in psychology, misinformation does not necessarily imply intent to deceive. This course will examine the psychological processes that can lead to a person genuinely believing misinformation. Misinformation is to be distinguished from disinformation, which is false information created intentionally to deceive people.

Additional useful definitions for words used throughout this course can be found on the Skeptical Science glossary.

10. In the week 2 temperature tool exercise, for question 5 I need to use the 'random subset' button. But nothing happens!

Some pop-up blocking software causes this feature (and also the 'rename experiment' feature) not to work. You will need to adjust your popup blocking settings (or use a different browser).

We will try and produce a new version which avoids this problem, but it isn't a simple fix.

11. I posted to the forum, but my post disappeared! Where did it go?

We have reported this problem to edX. They have indicated that there is currently a bug in the forum causing posts to seem to disappear. What is happening is that your post has actually been placed within a different thread. This is quite frustrating to our moderators when they are responding to questions and can no longer find their replies.

Edx describes the problem and suggests the following work-around until it can be resolved: The team is actively working on an issue where replies appear underneath the wrong post. This can happen when one is navigating the forum via the Discussion tab, and in particular when clicking "load more" or after posting a reply. At the moment, best best work-around we can recommend is refreshing the page after loading a new thread, and after posting.

If you have a post disappear, we would recommend searching for your user name or for key words you included in your missing post in the Discussion Search box. Then you can check those posts and once you've found your disappearing post copy, repost and then delete the duplicate response.

We hope this issue will be resolved soon, and we will keep you informed on the discussion forum when we hear more from edX.

12. What is the process I should follow for the debunking peer assessment found in Week 6?

There are a number of steps to follow to complete the full peer assessment process.

To begin, read the instructions and rubric carefully. This will help you understand the type of writing you are being asked to complete and how it will be marked. It might also help to re-watch one of your favourite lectures to solidify your understanding of the Fact-Myth-Fallacy structure.

Once you feel that you understand the assignment instructions, complete the two practice peer assessments. This gives you the opportunity to read two different example essays and mark them using the rubric. Because the purpose of the practice is to help you apply the rubric to responses to the essay prompt, you may attempt this part of the assignment until you get it correct. Be sure to read the explanations for each of the parts of the rubric.

Once you’ve completed the practice, it is now time to write your own response. We would strongly recommend that you review the assignment instructions before writing. We would also recommend that you compose your essay using your favourite word processing program so that you can proofread, edit and revise before submitting it for marking.

When you have written your essay, you input it into the peer assessment assignment by pasting it or typing directly into the response box.

After submission, you will then be able to mark the writing of your peers. You will need to mark 5 essays in order to complete the assignment, but do note that you can mark additional responses by clicking the peer assessment box and selecting to mark additional responses. Your grade for your response will be the median score of the marks given by 3 of your peers.