1. Making sense of information
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“IN THE WORLD OF ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION AND LIMITED ATTENTION IT IS COMPLICATED NOT TO LOSE OUR SELVES AND THE TRUE MEANING OF THINGS.”
„We have more information now than we can use, and less knowledge and understanding than we need. Indeed, we seem to collect information because we have the ability to do so, but we are so busy collecting it that we haven’t devised a means of using it. The true measure of any society is not what it knows but what it does with what it knows.“[1]
[1] Warren Bennis American leadership expert 1925 - 2014 Warren G. Bennis (1990) Why leaders can't lead: the unconscious conspiracy continues. p. 143 1990s
We have already pointed out in Module 0 that collecting and gathering information (see Module 1 & 3) is important but only as the first step in responsible decision making supported by evidence. The goal should be relevant understanding of the issue we are dealing with.
In this sense we strive for coherent explanation that considers all the relevant aspects and taking in account the available evidence and knowledge when considering also the unknowns.
To make it more approachable we can think of sense making also as a way of formulating relevant arguments supported by evidence (or explanation).
SUMMARY) Take into the class The Module 4 integrates and utilizes the activities and knowledge from the previous Modules and the outcome should be relevant understanding of the concerned issue that allows us to formulate relevant explanations and arguments based on adequate evidence and understanding the viewpoints of relevant actors.
To summarize the goals to achieve in this Module to take into the class:
Have relevant understanding of the concerned issue based on:
o Evidence supported by reliable and relevant data and information
§ Be aware of quality of data (see Module 1)
§ Be aware of disinformation, fake-news and misinformation (see Module 1)
§ Collected data and information from secondary or primary sources by your own research (see Module 3)
o Considering and taking into account all the relevant/important aspects of the issue
§ Be aware of manipulative techniques (see Module 2)
§ Be aware of the biases (yours in the first place) (see Module 2)
§ Be aware of the perceptions and points of view of relevant actors (see Module 2)
§ Be aware of the framing of the issue by relevant actors and their arguments (see Module 2)
o Assessment and weighting the evidence available
§ Interpretation of the findings from the research phase (Module 4)
§ Understand the evidence available (Module 4)
§ Formulating coherent explanation and arguments supported by evidence (Module 4)
§ Understanding the unknowns (Module 4)
IMPORTANT Remember that we aim to go beyond fact-checking and formulating isolated arguments. The overall aim should be to have broader understanding that intercorporate all the necessary aspects of the concerned issue relevant for our decision making (to take action, formulate arguments or explanation).
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