Media and Information Literacy Instruction: A Case for Collaboration

Introduction

The news and information cycle are 24/7/365, and they are formed by a global churn of various forms of media. To create this buzz, traditional media outlets create and share content alongside all types of citizens, including bloggers, social media influencers, and teenagers. Armed with smartphone technology and Internet bandwidth, consumers of media who hunger for information customized for their news feeds fuel this flow of information. A digital ecosystem surrounds and bombards us with content, imagery, video, and stories, some real, others not, providing various uses and gratifications. For some, this constant flow of information is welcomed as it provides access to news and information. For others, the steady and endless stream of media provides entertainment or some other gratification.

The constant churn of information can be positive or problematic. As the media is alleged for some to enhance a fear of missing out, the media also provides opportunities to access endless information verified as truth or veiled as fiction. Campbell et al. (2021) noted “The quality of the news and entertainment we create and consume is important, yet much of it doesn’t seem to serve us or our society well. We are surrounded by complaints about biased journalism, trashy reality television, vapid YouTube influencers, irresponsible corporations, conspiracy theories, cyber-trolls, violence, and other ills” (p. 26).

It is also worth noting that the media is a force for polarization, uniting us but also fanning the flames of conflict. Ad Fontes Media (2022) reported that the public is facing a crisis of too much junk news, noting “Junk news is like junk food, and just like junk food has caused massive health epidemics in our country, junk news is causing a massive polarization epidemic” (para. 4). With such media pitfalls possible, how can we best consume media to decipher truth from fiction and achieve media literacy? More importantly, how should media and information literacy be taught to college and K-12 students to address this issue? How can K-12 and higher education collaborate to work toward establishing media and information literacy?

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Media and information literacy is a component of the Partnership For 21st Century Skills, Framework for 21st Century Learning, which “describes the skills, knowledge and expertise students must master to succeed in work and life; it is a blend of content knowledge, specific skills, expertise and literacies” (P21 Framework Definitions, 2009, p. 1). According to the Partnership For 21st Century Skills (2009), an abundance of information, rapid changes in technology, and user generated content and collaboration are prevalent. The group noted, “To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology” (P21 Framework Definitions, 2009, p. 5).

According to the Partnership For 21st Century Skills, Framework for 21st Century Learning, information literacy consists of the efficient, effective, and critical evaluation of information. Using an ethical and legal lens through which to view a problem, consumers manage information from a variety of sources with accuracy. Media literacy similarly challenges consumers to use an ethical and legal lens through which to view a problem, and consumers seek to understand messaging and their interpretation, along with their potential to influence humans (P21 Framework Definitions, 2009).

Upon reflection of the Partnership For 21st Century Skills, Framework for 21st Century Learning, it is clear that media and information literacy are interwoven, similar, and symbiotic. This approach provides a useful lens through which to view media and information literacy in the Mass Communications and Education departments at King’s College, thus illuminating the work of this research.

Critical Process Framework

Media and information literacy are important skills. Campbell et al. (2021) indicated “In contemporary societies, gaining the ability to carefully analyze and participate in debates over the media, their role in constructing meaning, and their impact on culture—in other words, becoming media literate—should be considered a fundamental skill” (p. 26). Campbell et al. (2021) suggested that to achieve media literacy, consumers of media should follow a process consisting of description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and engagement, and this framework is shared with Mass Communication students at King’s College as a tool for students to develop media literacy.

In the description step, which is the first step of the critical process framework, consumers of media should carefully review content, taking notes to deepen understanding and continue to research the topic in question, seeking other reliable sources. The next step in the process, entitled analysis, challenges the consumer to identify patterns, focusing on significant patterns that were uncovered during the description phase. Next, a consumer engages in interpretation of the content, and after reflecting upon a pattern or patterns that require closer attention, seeks to determine the meaning of the pattern(s), asking “so what?” The next step in the framework features an evaluation by the consumer, as an informed judgment is formed based upon the prior three stages. Campbell et al. (2021) noted, “At this stage, we can grasp the strengths and weaknesses of the news media under study and make critical judgments measured against our own frames of reference—what we like and dislike, as well as what seems to be good or bad or missing, in the stories and coverage we analyzed” (p. 27). Lastly, the consumer engages themselves in the topic by taking some form of action. According to Campbell et al. (2021), “To be fully media literate, we must actively work to create a media world that helps serve democracy” (p. 27). They also noted that engagement consists of “Taking some action that connects our critical perspective with our role as citizens and watchdogs who question our media institutions, adding our voice to the process of shaping the cultural environment” (p. 27).

Critical Process Project

The ability to critically analyze media messages is a high priority for students at King’s College. As part of the assurance learning plan of the Mass Communications program, a student graduating should be media and information literate. This learning outcome is measured through the administration of the “Critical Process Project” assignment during Mass Communications (COMM 111; Survey of Mass Communications), which highlights the use of the critical process framework outlined by Campbell et al. During the Critical Process Project, first year students identify a mass communications article and analyze the article using the critical process framework. Articles may be from a peer-reviewed journal, the Internet, a newspaper, a magazine, etc. Students reflect upon their critical process in a paper. First, students summarize the article. Next students describe each of the five steps of the critical process framework. In the third portion of the assignment, students utilize each of the five steps of the critical process to analyze the article. In the final section, students reflect upon the assignment and its impact on their understanding of the media and related literacy, describing in detail if the process of completing the project had an impact on their worldview and career path. Projects are scored using the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) Information Literacy Value Rubric. Upon completion, students present their Critical Process Project to the class and welcome questions about their work.

Results of the Critical Process Project

Upon evaluation of the students’ critical process projects over the last four years, and after reviewing results of the assessments for the learning outcome, the target for this learning outcome was achieved and exceeded. In addition, student feedback on the assignment was positive. One student noted, “Through carrying out this Critical Process it has shown that there are deeper meanings at play when articles are created. Taking articles at face value, for the statistics alone, is only a small portion of the story or simply part of the conversation that is taking place.” Another student stated, “As the world of information grows, so does the appetite one has for getting that information quickly. The pursuit of speed taints the pursuit of truth, and as each lie produced from it is spoken, the truth is buried deeper and deeper until it is no longer recognizable. The five steps mentioned from the critical process serve to help, but only as much as a person is willing to go to uncover the made-up truth, the accepted truth, and the actual truth.” Prior to embarking on the Critical Process, students collaborate with a King’s faculty librarian to obtain specialized instruction in media and information literacy.

Library Instruction and Collaboration

To help students achieve the information literacy learning outcomes for the course, Dr. (Scott) Weiland dedicates three class meetings to information literacy instruction. The sessions take place in the library and are led by one of King’s faculty librarians.  Adam Balcziunas, the Electronic Resources & Systems Librarian, has worked with students in the course since 2019. From Mr. Balcziunas’ perspective, the course’s focus on mass media provides a rich range of possibilities for instruction and a great opportunity to incorporate current events and critical perspectives into library instruction. Also appealing is the opportunity to work with students over the course of three consecutive weeks, rather than having to cram all the information into a single library instruction session.

But before delving into the particulars of the instruction, it is necessary to provide a brief overview of the standards and frameworks that inform our understanding and teaching of information literacy. The King’s College Core Curriculum identifies information literacy as one of seven transferable skills of liberal learning.  The College’s core curriculum states that, with respect to technological competency and information literacy, students will be able to:

1. Define and articulate the extent and type of information and sources needed;
2. Use appropriate technologies to access the needed information effectively;
3. Interpret and evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base;
4. Use information and information technologies ethically, legally, and effectively; and
5. Evaluate the risks and benefits of technology from a social and ethical standpoint.

This conception of information literacy is heavily indebted to the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (ACRL, 2000).  The first four outcomes use language very close to that of the Standards.  However, the fifth outcome hints at a more complex idea of what it means to be information literate in the present information and media environment, reflecting the much more robust conception of information literacy laid out in ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL, 2015).  Meant as an update and replacement for the Standards, the Framework is not a set of standards at all and does not prescribe specific learning outcomes.  Instead, it introduces six core concepts (or “frames”) related to information literacy and emphasizes the need for more inclusive and constructivist pedagogical approaches.  The introduction to the Framework states:

the rapidly changing higher education environment, along with the dynamic and often uncertain information ecosystem in which all of us work and live, require new attention to be focused on foundational ideas about that ecosystem. Students have a greater role and responsibility in creating new knowledge, in understanding the contours and the changing dynamics of the world of information, and in using information, data, and scholarship ethically. (ACRL, 2015, n.p.)          

The instructional outline Mr. Balcziunas developed for the three COMM 111 library sessions correlates to the College’s institutional learning goals for information literacy and integrates concepts from the ACRL Framework while also extending the course focus on media literacy and the news and information cycle.  The first session is on the topic of finding resources, the second focuses on source evaluation, and the third on the ethical use of information. Each session is tied to a specific guiding concept from the Framework. For session one, on finding resources, we are guided by the idea of “Searching as Strategic Exploration.” The session on evaluating information explores the concept that “Authority is Constructed and Contextual.” The last session, on the ethical use of information, relates to the idea that “Information Has Value.” 

Delivering the instruction over three sessions allows Mr. Balcziunas to cover topics commonly associated with academic research-based library instruction, such as proper citation style and tips for conducting database searches, but also leaves adequate time for extended discussion of the complexities of creating, evaluating, and verifying news media in the current information environment. To facilitate discussion on the latter topic, Mr. Balcziunas incorporates material from Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in an Information Age, a teaching unit developed by Facing History & Ourselves & the News Literacy Project (2016) to encourage critical thinking about the complex relationship between news media and issues of race.  The unit revolves around the events that took place in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 after a police officer shot an unarmed Black teenager.  After a brief discussion of the events, the class watches one of the videos from the unit, entitled “How We Respond to Images,” which features news editors, photojournalists, and other commentators describing the challenges of covering the chaotic and quickly evolving events, including protests and rioting, that followed the shooting.  The video includes a photojournalist describing how his own photograph of a police officer firing tear gas at protesters elicited strong reactions from both critics of the police and police supporters.  According to him, these differing reactions demonstrate how our own biases inform the way we interpret images (2016, 0:17).      

To reinforce this idea, the library instruction also incorporates a visual literacy activity from a lesson plan developed by Christine Photinos (2016, p. 74).  In this activity, which Photinos describes as “one way to approximate the experience of a photojournalist,” students are directed to a high-resolution panoramic image of an Occupy Portland demonstration.  Because it is a large crowd shot, there are “a wide variety of focal points, from small groups suggestive of multiple generations joined in common cause to shots of heavily pierced solitary protestors,” (p. 74).  Students are instructed to use their computer’s snipping tool and create a selection that tells a story.  Each student explains why they chose to create the snip that they did, how they decided on the composition of their selection, and what message or idea is likely being conveyed by their decision.

In addition to activities and content related to media literacy, the library sessions cover traditional topics that are required by the critical process project.  Plagiarism, APA citation style, and database search strategies are discussed, as are topics related to everyday information use, such as how one gathers more information about their hobbies or finds a good recipe.  Talking about information use in different contexts allows students to build from their own experience while emphasizing the importance of being informed and responsible consumers and producers of information in all aspects of their lives.

When it comes to information literacy– and the closely related, but distinct, concepts of media literacy and visual literacy– our aim as instructors is not just to address institutional-level goals or help students successfully complete their critical process project, although both things are important.  Our primary objective is to give students the opportunity to practice skills and develop conceptual frameworks that they can use throughout the rest of their personal and professional lives.

Implications for Teacher Preparation and K-12 Education

Teaching media and information literacy is a necessary and important component in K-12 education. November (2008) indicated, “Yet, if we do not teach our students how to think critically about this media, they will not have the ability to separate the message from the medium. In this regard it is a very dangerous time” (p. 3). November (2008) also noted, “We have some very important decisions to make if we want to truly prepare our children for a world in which the Internet is the dominant media” (p. 2).

To help K-12 students effectively navigate Internet information, November (2008) suggests K-12 teachers enlist the REAL process, which consists of four steps. First, read the web address and determine if you recognize the address, evaluate the extension (.com, .edu, etc.) and determine if you are on a personal page. Next, web surfers should evaluate the content for usefulness, functioning links, current information, accurate information, and consistency among web pages. Third, November encourages Internet users to evaluate the author of the content for credibility, and last, evaluate the links to web pages to determine if content contains misleading information, etc.

In a 2022 article by the Editorial Board of The Times-Tribune, a strong case for media literacy instruction was made. The Editorial Board indicated, “Millions of Americans now turn to social media for news, at least sometimes, and it’s clear that much of the “news” that they consume is not journalism” (p. 12). The Editorial Board also noted, “Misinformation is endemic to social media platforms and, in some cases, so is deliberate disinformation and propaganda masquerading as news. The results are profound and dangerous, not just for conventional news media but for democracy” (p. 12).

As the Internet maintains its position as a force for information sharing, and as social media and mobile technology continue to grow, verifying that news is reliable is a challenge. In response to this new norm, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill requiring that media literacy is taught from kindergarten through grade 12, with the New Jersey Department of Education developing a curriculum standards for instruction “in research, critical thinking, recognizing the difference between facts and opinion, and identifying primary and secondary sources” (“Require media literacy instruction,” 2022, p. 12).

Although New Jersey is the first state to require that media literacy is taught in K-12 classrooms, all states should consider such instruction. The Editorial Board noted, “Media literacy in the digital age has become a fundamental requirement of civics education and, more so, of responsible citizenship” (“Require media literacy instruction,” 2022, p. 12).

For students to become engaged, informed citizens and effective lifelong learners and productive members of the workforce, it is important that they are given the chance to practice the skills and cultivate the dispositions associated with media and information literacy. The critical process project and the activities included in the associated library instruction sessions for COMM 111 are designed to facilitate this practice. A collaboration between K-12 and higher education may help students become prepared for achieving media literacy.

References

American Library Association. (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11213/7668

American Library Association. (2015). Framework for information literacy for higher education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Campbell, R., Martin, C., Fabos, B., & Becker, R. (2021). Media & Culture (13th Edition). Macmillan Higher Education.

Facing History & Ourselves. (2016, March 28). Facing Ferguson: News literacy in an information age. https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/facing-ferguson-news-literacy-digital-age

Home of Media Bias Chart. Ad Fontes Media. (2022, April 4). Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://adfontesmedia.com/.

Mackey, S. O. B. (2005, July 21). Reading and writing for understanding. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/05/07/reading-and-writing-understanding.

November, A. C. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Corwin Press.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). (rep.). P21 Framework Definitions (pp. 1–9). Washington, DC.

Photinos, C. (2016). Critical engagement with numbers and images. In N. Pagowsky & K.

McElroy (Eds.), Critical library pedagogy handbook, vol. 2: Lesson plans. (pp. 71-79). Association of College and Research Libraries.

Require media literacy instruction. (2022, December 8). The Times-Tribune, p. 12.

Schoenbach, Ruth. (2012). Reading for understanding: How reading apprenticeship improves disciplinary learning in secondary and college classrooms. (2nd edition). Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint.