Aarthi Ashok, professor at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, presented at ASMCUE 2022, a recorded microbrew about exploring the Canadian anti-vax movement. The session was entitled “Exploring the anti-vax movement – assignment design to promote scientific literacy and communication.” Students in Ashok’s class explored anti-vaccination stances on social media and providing supporting arguments. The University of Toronto, Ashok noted, is a large research-intensive university, and the course was “Pathobiology of Human Disease.” The assignment was framed by a view of scientific literacy focused on three abilities for science communication. Students found interesting posts. Students searched for evidence for claims about vaccination. The distrust by some communities of government initiatives was considered. Ashok shared a Padlet to “choose your own adventure” and explore social media posts. A fantastic question by an audience member was to encourage students to use private browser settings to avoid algorithms. The feedback survey, Ashok noted, shared positive feedback from students.
