This activity allowed for more effective scholarly research techniques through the experimentation of different sites such as Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed/ScienceDirect. I learned how to distinguish between scholarly and general sources, and the differences in each tool regarding accessibility, relevance, and credibility. One significant lesson was the use of precise, formalized vocabulary and good keywords to allow more accurate searching. I also practiced filtering and sorting by relevance and date, which allowed me to better concentrate on new and high-quality academic content. As a whole, this exercise improved my skill at conducting targeted, credible research which is the key to academic and professional success in health sciences.

This activity, as a component of module 3, sought to develop competencies in scholarship and collaboration through searching and evaluating literature related to Health Information Systems in South Africa. In Week 8, our class groups were required to divide sub-topics (implementation, challenges, and innovations), decide on search terms, search for academic papers pertaining to them, and present their findings in a shared spreadsheet. In Week 9, each student selected one article from their search, annotated it using a tool selected by the group (e.g., Google Docs or Microsoft Word), and evaluated the article's strengths using guided questions. These assessments and annotated sources were loaded into individual ePortfolios, forming a part of the group's collective research foundation for an eventual presentation.

This task entailed using the Adler archive materials in studying historical figures and developments in public health in South Africa. It required finding specific information from a variety of PDF sources, such as the Adler Archive Inventory, Adler Bulletin Vol. 38 (2012), the Adler Inventory of Official Publications, and a chapter in Africa's Hidden Histories. We were asked to search for references to Professor J. M. Watt, identify a pharmacology collaborator working in the 1930s–1960s, examine the 1919 Public Health Act for relevance to modern systems, and draw a quotation including Watt from Louisa Mvemve's letters. This task was aimed at archival research skill, close reading, and the ability to work with historic documents for academic purposes.

This exercise takes into account how evidence is imagined, translated, and used in health environments, particularly those digital and social media environments. Through three free-write and reflect exercises, students are encouraged to think in a critical manner regarding the function of social sites and media in creating public understanding of medical knowledge. The activity highlights the risk of misinformation, the responsibility of users when accessing health information online, and using reputable, evidence-based sources. The activity also recognizes the limitations of using websites like Wikipedia in academic work, the necessity of source criticism, and responsible communication of health information, especially for activists.

By means of this activity, critical evidence evaluation is examined through the lens of public health communication, i.e., face mask wearing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In our information-saturated and misinformation-ridden, digitally networked world, where myth stands to overwhelm truth, there is a need to subject claims made in public discourse as well as in academic discourse to judgment about credibility, sense, and source. The exercise is to critically assess six diverse sources: public health posters, social media posts, a do-it-yourself website, a government press release, a newspaper article, and a peer-reviewed academic journal article. Students are required to judge the strength of each source based on the evidence offered, the arguments employed, the audience addressed, and what is excluded from the argument. Through this comparison, the exercise fosters scientific literacy, critical thinking, and evidence-based judgment skills, which are essential to prospective health professionals and activists.