Free "Experiencing Science in the Pandemic" Course Offered Through University of Central Missouri

The University of Central Missouri (UCM) will offer a free five-week continuing education course, Experiencing Science in the Pandemic, May 12 through June 11. The online course includes 10 contact hours with classes from 6 to 7 p.m. (Central time) Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Pre-registration is required, and individuals may sign up online.

Dr. Mo Basir, UCM associate professor and science education program coordinator, will be the course’s instructor.

“In a world full of misinformation and pseudoscience, specifically during this coronavirus pandemic, it is crucial to trust in science,” Dr. Basir said. “Science as a way of knowing enables us to handle unknown situations, such as the current pandemic, more effectively in comparison with other forms of knowing.”

The course will provide an environment in which students experience science as they are making sense of 20 novel phenomena related to coronavirus and its pandemic effects. Students will pose hypotheses to answer each question and consequently conduct research to decide whether to accept or reject their hypotheses. Each question will be discussed in detail in the following session.

Skills included are scientific reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, developing and testing hypotheses and developing arguments from evidence. The online class is open to anyone throughout the world.

Sign Up for This Free Course