Course summary
Welcome to this course “Media and Information Literacy”. To start with the course, click on the button named “Announcement” and read the information posted there. Find below the course outline that you are encouraged to read to get the background of this course.
Course duration
This course has a total of 90 hours distributed as follows:
- Contact virtual face-to-face: 20 hours
- Directed self-learning, self-directed learning and assessment: 70 hours
Course Aims/Purpose
MIL aims to enable individuals to think critically about the media and the information they consume by
engaging in a process of inquiry. The aim, according to UNESCO’s definition of media and information
literacy, is to allow individuals to become engaged citizens and responsible decision-makers. By
evaluating the source, the context, the message and the medium within which it is received, considering
its representations and its intended audience, as well as the institutional context from which the message
emerges, MIL invites individuals to evaluate media at a critical distance.
Developing competencies towards media and information, is especially relevant within the contemporary
media landscape. The blurring of the lines between producers and consumers has challenged what we
consider media messages and made information access universal: a news headline, a video, a meme or a
social media post or comment vie for our attention on social media platforms. Nowadays, anyone can
create an official-looking website or social media account at very little cost. In fact, misinformation has
often stemmed from seemingly legitimate websites and this makes it very difficult to flag false or
misleading information using conventional methods, such as checklists, with questions that prompt
evaluation of sites for currency, relevance, accuracy, authority and purpose. When it comes to evaluating
news online, whether it’s from reputable sources or not, determining who and what to trust requires
critical reflection.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Media and Information Literacy, the participants will be able to:
- Comprehend why media and other information providers are important to development and democratic societies;
- Know what media and other information providers should do to support development and democracy;
- Recognise a need for information;
- Locate and access information needed;
- Evaluate with care or judge information and the content of media and other information providers;
- Organise information;
- Use and share information based on moral principles or accepted standards of social behaviour;
- Use information and communication technology skills to access, produce and share information and media content;
- Interact with media and other information providers to freely express themselves, share their culture and learn about other cultures, and participate in democratic and development activities.