Prof. Dr. habil. Harald Rau’s team is delighted to have been awarded funding for a new research project, the externally funded “Escape the Fake” initiative, in collaboration with the Wolfenbüttel district’s mobile library. The project launched on 1 July and will be funded for one year by the Asse Future Fund Foundation. It combines research, media literacy and democratic competence in a playful way.
Learning objective: recognising fake news and verifying sources
The focus is on the design and evaluation of a mobile escape game taking place on the Wolfenbüttel district’s bookmobile. Teenagers and young adults take part in an interactive game where they learn to critically examine digital information, recognise fake news and verify sources. At the same time, democratic values are reflected upon and reinforced – such as freedom of expression, diversity of opinion and dealing with polarisation and disinformation.
The principle of ‘learning through play’ creates an accessible entry point to a highly topical social issue. Participants must work together to solve puzzles centred on topics such as disinformation, verifying digital sources and forming opinions. This promotes media literacy and critical thinking – key skills in an increasingly digitalised society.
