Eliane Troxler
Last Name
Troxler
First name
Eliane
Email
eliane.troxler@unisg.ch
Phone
+41 71 224 2658
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Item type:Publication, “We don’t need no thought control”: dealing with faculty members spreading conspiracy theoriesRecent studies reveal that a significant proportion of the population in various countries endorses at least some form of conspiracy theory (CT). Notably, there have been instances of faculty members spreading CTs, despite their pedagogical obligations to foster academic and scientific thinking. While the existing literature has predominantly focused on student populations, an examination of less-studied cohorts such as faculty members seems necessary. This theoretical article delves into the prevalence, underlying factors, and ramifications of CTs within the context of higher education. The present analytic article distinguishes CTs from scientific theories, elucidates the detrimental consequences for individuals and the broader society engendered by the uncritical propagation of CTs, and scrutinizes the responsibilities of students and faculty in mitigating the dissemination of misinformation. Moreover, the article posits potential solutions from both student and faculty standpoints to counteract the proliferation of CTs in higher education.Type:journal articleJournal:Higher Education - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Design of Self-Study Material on Digital Assessment for Faculty Training in Higher Education(2025-08-26); Type:conference contribution - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Faculty Members and Conspiracy Theories: Responsibilities, Risks, and Strategies in Higher Education(2026-06-27); ; Daumiller, MartinConspiracy theories (CTs) constitute epistemically unwarranted belief systems characterized by suspicion-driven sensemaking, self-sealing reasoning, and resistance to counterevidence. While higher education research has extensively examined students’ susceptibility to CTs, the role of faculty members as potential transmitters of such beliefs remains largely untheorized—despite their central responsibility for fostering scientific literacy, epistemic judgment, and critical thinking. This conceptual paper addresses this gap by situating faculty endorsement of CTs as a challenge not only to science communication but also to academic development and professional responsibility. Drawing on a systematic distinction between scientific and conspiratorial thinking, we develop a heuristic model that integrates key predictors, manifestations, and consequences of CT endorsement among faculty. The model organizes consequences across four interrelated levels: students (e.g., erosion of epistemic trust and learning opportunities), the academic community (e.g., weakening of professional norms and peer accountability), higher education institutions (e.g., reputational and governance risks), and society (e.g., normalization of misinformation and radicalization). By explicitly linking these effects to core dimensions of academic development—teaching quality, professional ethics, and institutional responsibility—the paper extends existing debates beyond student-focused deficit models. The contribution concludes by outlining transferable prevention and intervention strategies at micro-, meso-, and macro-levels, including pedagogical prebunking and debunking practices, faculty development initiatives, and institutional policies that balance academic freedom with epistemic responsibility. As a conceptual contribution, the paper aims to provide a scaffold for academic developers, higher education leaders, and researchers to diagnose risks, guide professional learning, and inform future empirical work on misinformation within academia.Type:conference poster - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication,