Information. Dialogue. Discourse.

All three are needed in a free and just society.

The University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation is offering three teach-outs focused on issues facing voters. The Teach-out series offers short, self-paced learning opportunities on current topics offered on the Coursera platform.

Discussing Politics and Debates Teach-Out encourages participants to engage in informed dialogue and discourse with peers and other learners. Throughout the free learning event, U-M faculty and experts will share how to talk about politics and other polarizing issues with friends, family and co-workers. They also share suggestions to help digest the many layers of commentary from the first U.S. presidential and vice presidential debates.

Although the teach-out focuses on American politics, the concepts discussed can be applied to conversations had by learners across the globe.

A popular teach-out returns to help learners discern accurate information from reputable sources. Through the Disinformation, Misinformation, and Fake News Teach-Out,
leaders hope to engage participants in conversation about how to navigate the digital information landscape, identify fake news and gain critical skills in media and information literacy.

Although mail-in voting has become a primary topic of debate in this year’s U. S. election, many states and countries have adopted various forms of electronic voting. In Securing Digital Democracy, learners will hear about the potential of this method of voting as well as the security risks with future election technologies from the lens of computer security, social factors, public policy, and more.