Debating claims of fact in public health: A pedagogical activity

Abstract

This pedagogical activity asks instructors or workshop administrators to guide students through the process of evaluating evidence used in recurring health misinformation. Taking an approach based in argumentation and debate, instructors will facilitate understanding of how to evaluate evidence using specific criteria. Students are asked to develop cases to refute or defend a factual claim about human health, construct oral and written arguments for their case, and share them with other students who will evaluate the strength and quality of evidence used by each side. Ultimately, students will learn to: i) Understand how arguments are constructed that both support and refute a health claim; ii) develop strategies to evaluate evidence used for both sides of a claim of fact; and iii) know how to identify health misinformation, particularly in an online context.