This microcourse, available through the Maldita.es WhatsApp chatbot (+34 644 229 319), offers short video tutorials to help users identify hoaxes and scams, along with quizzes to test their skills. The full course can be completed in just 25 minutes through brief videos, infographics, and interactive questions based on practical examples.
5 challenges in 25 minutes
“5 Challenges Against Hoaxes” consists of five sessions lasting five minutes each. Users simply need to access the Maldita.es WhatsApp chatbot (+34 644 229 319) by saving the number in their phone contacts and, after saying “Hello,” selecting the option “Challenges Against Hoaxes.” They can also type “I want to start the challenges” directly or access the course via the link https://maldita.es/retocontralosbulos.
The course covers what a hoax is and why it is created, how to recognize and manage a suspicious message or scam, how to verify an image, and what to do if someone you know sends you a hoax. It provides a broad overview of disinformation, condensed into small learning capsules designed to make the process simple and fast.
Each session is structured in three steps:
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A video tutorial or infographic explaining the key ideas on the topic.
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A challenge in which the user answers a question to test the tools they have learned.
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The solution to the challenge, presented with infographics or short videos to reinforce the advice.
After completing each challenge, the system offers the option to continue immediately or postpone the next session until the following day. This way, users can decide when and where to dedicate a few minutes to the next session.
A course based on microlearning
Microlearning is an educational strategy in which content is condensed into short, focused capsules using games, videos, slides, and questions that address a single topic.
According to the “forgetting curve” theory formulated by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, retention decreases over time: 20 minutes after finishing a learning process, 50% of what was learned is lost. The article “Use of microlearning in mobile applications to increase knowledge retention and job performance…,” published by the United States National Library of Medicine and based on this theory, states that retention can be improved through repeated exposure, as occurs in microlearning. When information is reinforced at regular intervals, it moves from short-term memory to long-term memory.
Microlearning, already used in teaching health guidelines, has proven particularly effective in improving self-care behaviors, as shown in the study “The effectiveness of microlearning in improving self-care ability…”. Specifically, the study highlights its potential to strengthen the ability to identify harmful habits and promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being—two crucial aspects in raising awareness against disinformation.
“5 Challenges Against Hoaxes” is part of Maldita.es’s commitment to promoting tools to combat disinformation among citizens of all ages and sociocultural backgrounds. In the coming months, Maldita.es will expand the thematic offerings of these WhatsApp sessions to provide users with specific tools against scientific disinformation, scams, and other forms of misleading content.