In today`s world people and businesses are flooded with different information streams. Every day the number of information increases and it is harder to distinguish what is fake news or disinformation. Project FOCUS is aimed at a targeted group of people who are vulnerable in the digital age such as unemployed citizens or small business owners. Knowing how to navigate the digital world curated of vast number of information as well as understanding facts and fiction has become a necessary skill.
To address those challenges, as one of the outcomes of this project, an E-Learning Platform has been created. The platform offers an interactive, engaging learning experience for targeted groups and others. It is one of the ways to bridge the gap between the digital world, job seekers and small business owners; two demographics heavily impacted by online disinformation. This platform is a digital tool that serves as a source of high-quality training materials tailored specifically for adults. It is made in a way simple enough for everyone to use but also in an interactive way to keep learner’s attention and boost their engagement on the platform.
Offering this tool to job seekers, small business owners and everyone interested, it will help them evaluate and filter the information they encounter. Specifically, an E-Learning Platform assists business owners in protecting their businesses and making smarter business decisions since in today`s world any negative review, misinformation, or similar can have a significant impact on any business. The platform provides educational material on those topics. It`s also useful for job seekers since with a lot of fake news there is also a big number of job opportunity scams. Having knowledge of even basic media literacy lowers the possibility of falling for scams and boosts people`s critical thinking and evaluation of content available through various media.
The information available on the platform is divided into 4 modules and provides a comprehensive understanding of disinformation, offering practical strategies to recognize, counter, and reduce its effects. Each module has been split up into smaller sections to dive deeper into each specific topic while providing examples and practical solutions while also explaining them. One of the specifics of the platform is its availability. Being an E-Learning platform means it is available to users from anywhere with access to the Internet. Another perk of the platform is the possibility to access learning materials at all times of the day at no cost to gain access to the platform. After finishing modules, there is a short 10-minute quiz that allows users to test their gained knowledge.