Cronkite School to Offer MOOC on Media and News Literacy

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is launching Arizona State University’s first-ever Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The free online summer course, “Media LIT: Overcoming Information Overload,” gives people anywhere in the world the opportunity to study media and news literacy at the Cronkite School. The course is supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, a longstanding proponent of digital media literacy. “We believe Cronkite and ASU are well positioned to produce a successful, high-impact MOOC on this important topic,” said Clark Bell of the McCormick Foundation’s journalism program. The seven-week course, hosted by Cronkite Professor of Practice Dan Gillmor on the edX platform, begins July 6 and features guest speakers such as Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan and BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith, among others. The MOOC helps students understand, analyze and create media, said Gillmor, a digital media innovator and technology columnist. The course includes readings, videos and conversations that give students the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to be active users of the media and to be better informed. According to Cronkite School Dean and University Vice Provost Christopher Callahan, the new MOOC is one of the first of its kind to be offered by a major journalism program and offers unparalleled learning opportunities. “This new course makes world-class journalism and communications instruction more accessible to people around the world,” Callahan said. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the McCormick Foundation to offer this innovative learning experience.” The Cronkite MOOC is separate from the university’s recently announced Global Freshman Academy, but uses the same edX online learning platform. The course is free and open to all interested participants. For more information and to register, please use the following link: https://www.edx.org/course/media-lit-overcoming-information-asux-mco425x About the Robert R. McCormick Foundation Robert R. McCormick Foundation is committed to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic programs, Cantigny Park and museums, the Foundation helps develop citizen leaders and works to make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Col. Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation’s largest foundations, with more than $1.5 billion in assets. The McCormick Foundation continues McCormick’s legacy by partnering with media outlets, such as WGN Radio and Chicago Tribune, sports teams and philanthropic organizations across the country, to encourage local giving, inspire civic involvement and address human needs. About edX EdX is a nonprofit, open-source enterprise offering online courses from more than 65 member institutions, composed of both leading global universities and colleges and a diverse group of prominent organizations from around the world. Founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, edX is focused on transforming online and on-campus learning through groundbreaking methodologies, game-like experiences and cutting-edge research on an open-source platform. Based in Cambridge, Mass., edX is focused on people, not profit.