Media Literacy in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education

1. Media Literacy in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education Survey to Explore the Depth and Breadth of Media Literacy Education Laura Stuhlman and Art Silverblatt Webster University, St. Louis MO

2. Overview • Update to a 2001 study* • Survey sent to faculty in Comm. and Educ. Departments in 4 year schools • Identify and provide general info about media literacy…where, who, what, how • Get an idea of how far have we come • Gain feedback from educators • Share information with media literacy community

3. Process • What is there to learn from responses about media literacy? What questions do we ask? • Referenced 2001 survey…problems, new methodology, question to ask again, questions to refine • Define Media Literacy for survey • The understanding of the process of mass communication • An awareness of the impact of the media on the individual and society • The development of strategies with which to analyze and discuss media messages. • An awareness of media content as a “text” that provides insight into our contemporary culture and ourselves • Which media programming to select • How to interpret the information received through the channels of mass communication. • The cultivation of an enhanced enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation of media content • In the case of media communicators: the ability to produce effective and responsible media messages. • Formulated survey in Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com)

4. About… • Consent • Name, Position, and Contact Info • Does your institution offer media literacy? If yes, how? • Titles of Programs, Degrees, or Classes • Are they part of a program, elective, or gen ed? • If title is different, please explain • Under what discipline? • Texts • Comments about receptiveness, this survey, or media literacy itself • How would you like your info to appear? • Referrals

5. How Did I Find You People? • Strived to include every four year university in U.S. who offered something remotely close • Created initial spreadsheet from Peterson’s online (www.petersons.com) • Linked to schools through: • www.petersons.com • www.clas.ufl.edu/au • (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, University of Florida) • www.google.com • Additional online search for “media literacy” • Posted on Media-L listserv

6. te·di·ous [tee-dee-uh s] -adjective1. marked by tedium; long and tiresome • Websites. Lots and lots of websites. • Academics-Communications, Education • Faculty contact • Department Chair • Specialist • Someone close • Of 1700 schools researched, 1400 were contacted intitally • Referrals, corrections, additions • 2300 emails sent

7. Alas…results! • There were returned emails. There were requests to send the survey along to another. There was glory. There was defeat. But…there were responses. • So far…242 educators responded • 158 schools offer Media Literacy (course, multiple courses, degree) • 170 consented to have the info shared • 73 chose not to have their school and name released

8. Do You Have It or What?* Single Course: 66 Multiple: 87 Certificate: 3 Associates: 2 Bachelor’s:24 Master’s: 10 PhD: 2 None: 71*

9. Six Degrees of… • Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) • Critical Media and Cultural Studies • Webster University (St. Louis, MO) • B.A. Media Communications, emp. Media Literacy • M.A. Media Literacy • M.A.T. in Communication Arts, emphasis Media Literacy • Centenary College of Louisiana (Shreveport, LA) • B.A. in Communication - New Media • Adrian College (Adrian, MI) • Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Media Studies Emphasis) • Missouri State University (Springfield, MO) • MS in Education with Instructional Media Technology emphasis

10. We All Need Discipline • Communications: 96 • Education: 34 • Media Studies: 8 • Library Science: 3 • Other: 33

11. Have Some Class • San Francisco State University (CA) • Media Literacy in the Electronic Culture • Adams State College (Alamosa, CO) • Education Comm./Teaching Media Literacy • Loyola College in Maryland (Baltimore, MD) • Media Literacy Education, Seminar in Curriculum & Instruction (as per instructor's research, so when I teach it, it's media lit.) • Angelo State University (San Angelo, TX) • Media Literacy, Mass Media Effects and Ethics • University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) • Technology and Media Literacy, Principles of Media Literacy, Teaching Media Literacy with the Internet • Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (Cambridge, MA) • Special Topics in Comparative Media Studies: New Media Literacies

12. Where do the courses fall? Degree: 94 Elective: 56 Gen Ed: 17 Other: 21

13. The Same, Except DifferentTeaching from a media literacy perspective • Rutgers University (Newark, NJ) • Nearly all of our undergraduate and graduate level journalism and media studies courses at the School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies at Rutgers and in the Journalism and Media Studies department include media literacy elements. • Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI) • Most of our broadcast production and media studies courses include elements of understanding how to influence using media delivery, development and production techniques. • Corban College (Salem, OR) • We are about to change the title to include Media Literacy • Indiana University - Purdue Univ. Fort Wayne • All courses engage a media literacy perspective encouraging critical thinking using a variety of skills and methodologies, including cultural studies, formal analysis, and critical theory. • Messiah College (Grantham, PA) • Each of the above listed courses deals with Media Literacy principles explicitedly.

14. More of the same, except different… • Wartburg College (Waverly, IA) • We have an Information Literacy Across the Curriculum (ILAC) program that is a requirement within our general education program. Multiple courses include Information Literacy through virtually all disciplines. Personally I teach a section of IS 201 Living in a Diverse World which includes multiple components of the ILAC program at Wartburg College. ILAC is part of the education program of every student at Wartburg. • Milligan College (Milligan College, TN) • The course teaches what media literacy is as well as the known or well-researched effects of media on children. There is a service project that requires the students to teach media literacy to a group of children as a way of demostrating what they have learned about media literacy. • University on East Coast • The intro course is currently being redesigned (to be launched in fall 2008) as a media literacy course including a service learning component wherein our students will teach media literacy to middle school students in disadvantaged schools in our area.

15. What ARE you reading? • Media Literacy- Potter • Media and Culture- Campbell • Media Education- Buckingham • Media and Culture- Baran • Media Impact- Biagi • Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages- Silverblatt • Media of Mass Communication- Vivian • Many also suggested that based on the dynamics of the subject matter, they use their own notes or they rely on outside readings and research to best serve the purpose of the class

16. Receptiveness of faculty, students, administration • Currently, I am leading a committee that is exploring information literacy (ACRL) and how to integrate it through the disciplines. I recently attended a CIC/NITLE workshop that demonstrated the importance of IL and how to integrate it in the college curriculum. There are 7 members of the committee and we are working towards a working definition and standards that are specific to our institution.-College on West coast • My students initially rate themselves as moderately to highly media literate in the pre-course survey. At the end of the course, they most often comment that they had no idea how little they actually knew about media literacy. –Black Hills State University (Spearfish, SD) • The students love it, finding the information thought-provoking and relevant. The faculty and administration are largely unaware of the course.- Cascade College (Portland, OR)

17. Comments, suggestions…Receptiveness of faculty, students, administration • Students seem to enjoy it; each year, this serves as a topic for a group inquiry project. Faculty from other departments have indicated to me that they would like for me to teach a class on this in their department if and when they get their program changed. –Wright State University (Dayton, OH) • Administration and faculty not fully aware of the course, however, it has found a home in our gen ed program. Consequently, it attracts students from other majors. I am guessing that many students do not expect to be "challenged" to the extent that they are in the course as they are forced to view the media through a different lens. –Shenandoah University (Winchester, VA) • It's been a long battle, but we are gradually becoming equipped with the resources we need.- St. Mary's College of Maryland (St. Mary’s City, MD)

18. Penny for your ThoughtsGeneral comments on ML, this study, etc… • Media literacy as only a discussion of content does not go far enough. Needs to be connected with other analyses, and with opportunities to test it out in production, community service learning and internships.-University of San Francisco • Was it Potter who said, "Media are the water in which we swim?" Goldfish cannot analyze the quality of their own living water-sphere, so there is a muted efficacy to media literacy efforts. Media ARE our students; the students just believe they are non-media-influenced individuals instead. –University in Midwest • The Web editor from the local daily recently visited our department to discuss what, if anything, we should be doing differently to prepare future journalists. One of his recommendations was that every student take a media literacy course.-Whitworth University (Spokane, WA) • This should be a general education requirement for all students in the 21st century, including the ways media affect our understanding of more traditional literacies. All teacher education should include media literacy, as well. –University on East coast

19. Penny for your ThoughtsGeneral comments on ML, this study, etc… • I am returning from a sabbatical. I taught Media Literacy to a graduate/ undergraduate mixed course at the University of Iceland. They really liked it and want to have much more media literacy in their curriculum. Icelandic college students are used to having textbooks in English, but are also eager to create local/ national applications that fit their culture and media practices. My research project indicates it is a nation with a fertile literary tradition, great technological enthusiasm, and a healthy practice of examining new kinds of content. –University of Minnesota-Morris (Morris, MN) • We do not currently have a class called media literacy, but want to develop one...and the concept is an integral part of course work in fundamentals, health, and media, journalism, rhetorical studies, etc...we think it should be a mandatory core course offered as part of the core curriculum.-University of Louisiana at Monroe (Monroe, LA) • It really seems pretty ill conceived.- University on East Coast • I think media literacy should be a required class at the HIGH SCHOOL level. It's that important. –Utah State University (Logan, UT)

20. Patterns and Prints

21. Compare and ContrastLooking at the first survey in 2001 2001 • 74 respondents • 61 offered ML • 27 incorporating ML principles in other classes • 1 Bachelor’s Degree • 5 Master’s Degrees • 3 Doctorate Degrees • 3 Certificate Programs 2007 ☆ 242 respondents ☆158 offer ML* ☆135 incorporating ML principles in other classes ☆ 24 Bachelor’s Degrees ☆ 10 Master’s Degrees ☆ 2 Doctorate Degrees ☆ 3 Certificate Programs

22. Conclusions • This is a field of study growing at fast pace in higher ed • More than 3 times the response • Excitement in the field...more feedback • Development in education programs • As an increasingly crucial skill, more recognition by faculty/students • Technology more accessible, survey streamlined • Definition of media literacy

23. That’s great…now what? • Answers the “who else does this?” • Students- programs, jobs • The motivated can use info to provide support, generate programs • Reflects (in a general sense) diversity of texts, styles, departments, overall approaches • Gain knowledge on new directions of ML • Importance of ML at the university level • General Education goals • Degree programs in Comm. and Educ. • Offers general info on the basics…do with what you will

24. Wrap Up, Follow Up If you have not participated yet in the survey, please leave contact information with us The complete results will be wrapped up at the end of the summer (August-ish) and posted on www.webster.edu/medialiteracy Notification will be emailed to participants and posted on Media-L listserv Laura Stuhlman – stuhlman@webster.edu Art Silverblatt – silveram@webster.edu

25. Thoughts, questions, concerns… Please share your take on this project and the results. We welcome any feedback and constructive criticism. Just be kind.