Free Online Course: Coronavirus Powersearching provided by edX is a comprehensive online course, which lasts for 2 weeks long, 1-2 hours a week. The course is taught in English and is free of charge. Coronavirus Powersearching is taught by Daniel Russell and Lawrence An.
Learn the best online search methods to help you find medical information quickly and accurately. These techniques are shown by searching for information about Coronavirus / COVID19, but are widely applicable to searching for medical information on nearly any topic.
Coronavirus Powersearching (CPSWG) Syllabus
1. Introduction—Why learning medical powersearching skills is important
- finding basic information about Coronavirus
- principles of medical powersearching
- making a good query
- how to read the search results page
- finding symptoms
- COVID-19 self assessment
- finding testing locations nearby
2. Searching for Coronavirus risk factors
- who is at risk of serious illness?
- framing your query is simplest possible language
- determine the source of your information
- when is an image search useful?
- find out when the information was published (and how)
- medical information changes over time
3. Discovering how Coronavirus is spread
- finding the best masks to wear
- comparing information about masks from different sources
- using a simple spreadsheet to compare data
- how to filter search results by time (last hour, past week, past month…)
4. How much Coronavirus is in my community?
- how to search your county health department for data
- reading the data provided in the search results
- how to notice the details about the data (city? county? state?)
- comparing Michigan data with California data (and to YOUR location)
- searching for tools to compare data across the country
5. Finding strategies for living in a world with Coronavirus
- how to find your local recommendations and guidelines for health
- search pattern for your location
- how to search for how busy a business is; how to find less-crowded times
