Teaching Innovation in Community Psychology: Implementing Active Methodologies to Improve Learning

This educational innovation proposal aims to improve resilience to misinformation through the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) and a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as part of the CRESCent project, co-funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. The course, entitled “Strategic Communication to Counter Security Threats in the Age of Disinformation",” addresses the challenge of disinformation by encouraging critical thinking and responsible responses from participants. This interdisciplinary MOOC aims to strengthen the knowledge and skills of institutional spokespersons, journalists and young professionals in journalism and related fields on issues of security, defence and strategic communication. The course structure includes modules on the 21st century security threat landscape, strategic communication and public opinion, dealing with fake news and disinformation, and a range of advanced analytical and critical thinking tools. The course was offered in three editions, with a total of 1,021 students participating. Participants carried out practical exercises, role-play simulations and assessments, acquiring skills in evaluating information sources, planning strategic communication campaigns and practising ethical journalism. Evaluation of the results showed that participants found the course materials and exercises valuable for both professional development and general knowledge. The initiative, which was developed by the URJC in collaboration with the Romanian National Intelligence Academy "Mihai Viteazul" (MVNIA), the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (MAI-DIRP) and the Greek police authority KEMEA, was recognised at the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society for its fight against disinformation and harmful content that compromises security