The first Massive Open Online Course (Mooc) on Covid-19 and iniquities in Brazil: potential contribution of collective health against infodemia and fake news

Abstract

The new Coronavirus pandemic emerged at a time when neoliberalism was advancing, with the worsening of social inequalities, the few investments for science, an expansion of scientific negativism, and an intense production of fake news. The Massive Open Online Courses (Mooc) have been used as a strategy for scientific dissemination and facing infodemia, as they expand access to information and reach a larger audience. The objective of the article is to present the conception and the development of the first Mooc in Brazil discussing Covid-19 and health inequities. During the first twelve months the course had 5,721 enrollments and 3,433 graduating students. The completion rate was 60%. Based on the results it is believed that this Mooc acted successfully in the battle front of infodemia, wrong news and fake news. It highlights the property of this Mooc in the approach of knowledge diffusion about Covid-19 and consolidates as the first of its kind in the country.