University Of Bremen Experts Awarded At The Polytechnik Prize 2022

The prize awarded this year was dedicated to the focus topic “Digital media as a benefit for STEM teaching”. dr Nadja Belova, Academic Councilor at the University of Bremen, and Dr. Moritz Krause, a part-time teacher at the University of Bremen and a teacher at the School Center Geschwister Scholl Gymnasium Bremerhaven, received prize money of 2,000 euros.

How teenagers debunk an imaginary product
The teaching module that received the award is aimed at young people from grade 9 and up and is based on an imaginary product. The students get to know the water H IQ O with conductivity extract, which is supposed to make you smarter. “We developed an internet presence with an Instagram account for the product and produced labeled bottles, which, however, contained ordinary mineral water,” explains Nadja Belova. In class, the teachers ask the young people the H IQO water with its supposed effect. The students then collect information on social media and develop criteria for the credibility of the product. After the fake has been resolved, the young people are given criteria to be able to independently assess the credibility of science-related contributions in social media in the future.

The Bremen researchers evaluated the concept with 106 young people from high school. “We found that their ability to reflect on the use of social media was significantly better than that of their peers who had not completed the module,” says Moritz Krause.

About the Polytechnic Prize
With the Polytechnic Prize, the Polytechnic Society Foundation honors subject didactics and teaching-learning researchers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Outstanding research and development achievements for good teaching in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology are honored. The prize is under the patronage of the Federal Minister for Education and Research.