UndergradSkiller: Skill Set Map for Undergraduates and Their Educators

INFORMATION LITERACY AND DIGITAL SAFETY: News and Media Literacy

Media Literacy

Media literacy involves understanding how media messages are constructed, who creates them, and what purposes they serve. This skill equips students to engage critically with the information they encounter across platforms and formats.

Useful Resources on Media Literacy:

Kajimoto, M. (n.d.). Making sense of the news: News literacy lessons for digital citizens. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/learn/news-literacy

Annotation: Six-module course covering news literacy for digital citizens: the power of information, what constitutes journalism, finding trustworthy sources, identifying bias, applying news literacy skills, and responsible digital citizenship. Developed by the University of Hong Kong and the State University of New York. Free to audit within a limited window of time.

UNESCO. (2024). Global citizenship education in a digital age: teacher guidelines. https://doi.org/10.54675/BBSJ1884

Annotation: UNESCO guidelines on integrating global citizenship education into the digital age. Covers media and information literacy competencies, strategies for addressing misinformation, and frameworks for critical engagement with digital content.

Walsh, A. (2003). Introduction to media studies. MIT OpenCourseWare. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/21l-015-introduction-to-media-studies-fall-2003/

Annotation: Undergraduate course materials from MIT covering the nature of mediated communication, the history of media transformations, and theoretical perspectives on the role and power of media in society. Topics include the politics of class, gender, and race in media production and reception.

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

2.1. Contextualizing Information Literacy

2.2. Using Library Resources
2.2.1. Finding and Accessing Resources
2.2.2. Research Guides and Tutorials

2.3. Source Evaluation

2.4. News and Media Literacy

2.4.1. Media Literacy

2.4.2. Misinformation and Fact-Checking

2.5. Artificial Intelligence
2.5.1. Understanding AI
2.5.2. Evaluating AI
2.5.3. AI Terminology
2.5.4. AI Ethics

2.6. Online Safety
2.6.1. Avoiding Scams and Fraud
2.6.2. Data Privacy and Protection
2.6.2.1. Understanding Data Privacy
2.6.2.2. General Data Protection Regulation
2.6.3. Information Security
2.6.4. Digital Safety
2.6.4.1. Understanding Online Harms
2.6.4.2. Protecting Yourself Online
2.6.5. Cyberbullying
2.6.6. Ethical Social Media

2.7. Copyright

 

Author: Leeanne Irwin

Peer Reviewer(s): None