Rationale
The “Project to Commission the Development of a Higher Education Media Literacy Curriculum” is supported by funding from the Thai Media Fund. The project aims to develop a curriculum and lesson plans on media literacy knowledge for higher education.
The Thai Media Fund is a government agency established under the Thai Media Fund Act B.E. 2558 (2015). Its main objectives are to campaign for, promote, and support the development of safe and creative media; enhance the capacity of media producers; promote media literacy and awareness of unsafe and uncreative media; encourage public participation; promote research, knowledge development, and innovation in safe and creative media; and promote safe and creative media that are widely accessible and beneficial to everyone. The Thai Media Fund Committee is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s operations in accordance with its objectives.
The Thai Media Fund, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), has implemented a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote media literacy among students, lecturers, and educational personnel under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. The initiative aims to develop learners’ essential 21st-century competencies, including thinking skills, communication skills, media literacy, and responsible citizenship, through competency-based media literacy curricula and various extracurricular activities. It also aims to develop lecturers and educational personnel into modern educators with the capacity to deliver competency-based media literacy education and the knowledge and skills to use digital media and technology creatively to support student learning.
Media Literacy is an important process for building knowledge and understanding of communication among people of all ages, particularly young people and adolescents. Today, young people and adolescents are growing up amid rapidly advancing media technologies and spending significant amounts of time on social media platforms, where they are exposed to fake news, hate speech, and cyberbullying. They therefore need Media, Information and Digital Literacy (MIDL) skills to grow into adults who can create and use media creatively and effectively.
Promoting media literacy skills and developing systems for monitoring unsafe and uncreative media are among the policy missions of the Thai Media Fund Committee. It is essential for the Thai Media Fund to develop media literacy skills among the public in order to establish a broader media monitoring system within society.
Therefore, the Thai Media Fund has proposed the development of a higher education media literacy curriculum to study, research, collect, and integrate relevant information and knowledge. The project aims to compile knowledge and information on media literacy and provide guidelines for media monitoring and media literacy among people in society, particularly those studying at the higher education level who will play an important role in shaping and creating society in the future.
Objectives
• To develop a curriculum on media literacy, media monitoring, and digital intelligence for students in higher education
• To expand knowledge and practical guidelines for media monitoring and media literacy, while strengthening digital intelligence among students in higher education
• To promote the integration of collaborative mechanisms for developing media literacy skills appropriate for students in higher education
For More Information
Faculty of Learning Sciences and Education, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus
Siriwittayalak Building, 99 Moo 18, Phahonyothin Road, Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Tel: 02 696 6721