Curriculum Guide

The curriculum guide and website is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-by-SA 4.0 license. To provide attribution
to this site, please use the following citation reference:
Bailey, S., Mauro, S., McClelland, P., and Paulson, E. (2017). Challenging “Alternative” Facts about Immigration:
Building Critical Media Literacy. Retrieved from http://etec510b.uwo.ca
 Table of Contents

Executive Summary p. 3
Purpose
Goals
Objectives
How to Use the Curriculum Guide

Curriculum Guide for Challenging Alternative Facts About Immigration in the News p.5
Introduction
Intended Audience and Time Frame
Design Flexibility
Topics: Post-Truth Politics and Immigration News in North America
Perspectives: Information Literacy and Critical Media Literacy

Key Frameworks of the Curriculum Design p.8

Multiliteracies’ Four Components of Pedagogy
Community of Inquiry
Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning Outcomes and Assignments/Assessments

Unit Assessment Model p.12

Assignments & Evaluation
Weighted Assignments

Technology and Tools for Blended Learning p.15

Blended Learning
Participatory Media
Technology and Tools
How to Use the Module Lesson Plans and WordPress Site

Module Lesson Plan Overview p.18

Introductory Course Activity
Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Extension Activities

References p.28

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 Executive Summary

Purpose
Informed by scholarship and related to current trends in educational technology, this post-secondary
education curriculum guide and course plan enables undergraduate students from a range of disciplines to
become more informed and critical consumers and producers of news media. Through a blended design, this
easy to navigate unit challenges students to confront “alternative” facts along with their own biases, and to find
their own critical voices, through engaging how news information is shaped, consumed, and circulated online
through various media channels. This highly structured and organized guide offers a comprehensive,
evidence-based design for applying critical media and information literacy skills to social, cultural, and political
topics, particularly immigration in “post-truth” culture. The material in this guide and accompanying site are
highly interactive and flexible for various blended learning contexts and diverse undergraduate learner needs.
Goals
Our overarching goal for designing this unit plan is for students to understand and situate themselves in
the language of media as well as participate in deconstructing and constructing media messages. This unit plan
has been designed by learners, for learners. Our hope is that students can bring their own unique voices and
experiences into the classroom and engage in productive, critical dialogue that extends their knowledge and
perception of immigration. Recognizing that ​multiliteracies ​and ​ubiquitous learning ​(Cope & Kalantzis, 2000)
affords critical reflection and active engagement beyond class​, ​this unit is grounded in these learning goals:
● Bridge informal and formal sites for learning that supports students at different levels and through
different modes of representation;
● Transfer in-class and online learning to real-world settings in which they can assess the credibility and
validity of media channels;
● Engage in thinking that challenges or disrupts their own confirmation biases as well as deconstruct
inequalities and injustices about immigration news that circulate through the media;
● Take risks and learn to utilize critical media and information literacy by engaging in formative
assessment and scaffolded activities through duration of the unit;
● Situate their understanding of immigration through their own lived experiences and perspectives they
bring into the classroom;

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 ● Challenge them to be more critically engaged purveyors of the news and informed citizens of current
issues.
With a multiliteracies framework informed by the New London Group, this unit aims to promote meaningful
change for improved knowledge access and critical engagement in our students’ work lives, their public/civic
lives, and their private lives (NLG, 1996).
Objectives
Because immigration in North America is a highly contentious issue, the primary objective of this unit
plan is to provide students with enough time to critically reflect on their own learning through individual and
collaborative engagement with news media on immigration. Each module is carefully structured as a site for
inclusive learning, with a secondary objective to provide opportunities for students to view and hear different
perspectives on immigration in online and in-class settings. A third objective is to promote deep and
transformative learning by requiring that students take an active role in developing their own framework for
critical information and media literacy. Finally, as a fourth objective, students will use different types of media
resources and tools, developing critical media literacy for 21st century contexts.

How to Use the Curriculum Guide

The curriculum guide supplements the “Challenging ‘Alternative’ Facts about Immigration: A Design
for Building Critical Media Literacy” course content. The guide provides conceptual background information,
design information regarding course content and delivery, suggestions for lesson planning with references to
lesson materials, and references.​ ​This guide is divided into four main sections, providing:
1. the curriculum guide, containing key frameworks that ground the design, the learning environment, the
knowledge focus, and the InterActivities and verifications of the integrity of the curriculum;
2. an account of the key frameworks underpinning the curriculum design;
3. information on the blended learning components, including online and in-class technologies; and
4. instructor lesson plans for each section of each module, which make reference to handouts and
assignment instructions and assessment information, as well as the online sections mapped out on an

open access WordPress site: ​http://etec510b.uwo.ca/​.

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 Curriculum Guide for
Building Critical Media Literacy in Immigration News

Introduction
Welcome! This curriculum guide discusses the intended audience of the unit plan, the key terms and
course concepts, and how to use the curriculum guide effectively for your curriculum planning purposes. The
design of this unit utilizes a range of learning activities, technologies, and participatory assignments so that
students may build knowledge on the topic of immigration in the news media, skills in critical media literacy,
and orientations towards self-reflection and empathy as global citizens.

Intended Audience and Time Frame

The design of this unit is responsive to the needs of post-secondary instructors given their own
instructional context and pedagogical principles. Given the importance of flexibility to meet the needs of
various learning contexts, instructors, and students, the flexible design of the curriculum can accommodate
other related current issues.
The unit plan is designed to unfold over a semester, so it would be suitable to include in any social
science, information science, or interdisciplinary course with an emphasis on media and information literacy.
However, as an open access web resource, any part of any module can be utilized in another course, session, or
workshop. Students will have multiple opportunities to address formal knowledge about immigration as well as
the impact that societal and cultural constructions of immigration have on real people.

Design Flexibility
This curriculum has been designed for maximum flexibility to suit a range of learning contexts, levels,
environments, instructors, and students. For example, not all students will be comfortable expressing their
viewpoints in class, so discussion activities promote online as well as on-site discussion. Handouts and
assignment instructions are provided, but they may be re-purposed with proper attribution. Extension activities
give alternate ways to engage students. Thus, using this flexible yet comprehensive guide, you will be able to
facilitate students discovery and understanding of pertinent, reliable, and credible information within and

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beyond the contents of this unit plan. The activities outlined in this document facilitate a flexible plan so that
potential users are not provided with a deterministic or rigid plan that only allows for a singular direction.
Course materials may be modified prior to, or during, delivery in order to allow for changing circumstances and
expectations (Vaughan et al., 2013). Components of the unit can be adjusted to suit learner needs, time
constraints, and learning modality, while modifications and improvements may be sought based on feedback
forms included in this curriculum that students may complete. Finally, we encourage instructors to leverage the
affordances of the blended design environment and consider Veletsianos’ (n.d.) advice, which is to embrace
unexpected outcomes and allow opportunities for transformation to occur naturally.

Topics: Post-Truth Politics and Immigration News in North America

The term ​post​-​truth​ refers to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential than appeals to
emotion in shaping public opinion. With the election in the U.S. (as well as the EU referendum in the UK),
increased frequency of use of this term resulted in Oxford Dictionaries selecting it as word of the year (Oxford
Dictionaries, 2016). ​Post​-​truth​ ​politics​ utilizes misinformation in emotionally based arguments rooted in fears
and anxieties. The emergence of post-truth politics in the news media on topics of concern worldwide have had
a significant impact on how the public’s opinions are shaped. Their opinions, in turn, are reinforcing the culture
of post-truth politics. Laybats and Tredinick (2016) propose the “remedy for this malady of misinformation has
been information literacy, digital literacy, and critical reasoning skills” (p. 202).
Such appeals have shaped perception of U.S. immigrants as draining the economy and being a security
threat. Distorted narratives create false “crisis” images of immigration that become entrenched in the national
psyche, with immigrants becoming more isolated. Many students entering higher education are aware that the
media can easily circulate bias, misinformation, and alternative facts about any topic. However, accurately
identifying media bias as well as confirmation bias are skills that require time, dedication, reflection,
and--perhaps most importantly--the appropriate support. These course materials enable reflection on an
individual’s own beliefs, knowledge, and biases along with opportunities for guided support. Identifying
personal biases and situating ourselves in the context of credible, reliable information will only continue to
become more important as media channels have more power over news circulation. In her online post that
references many highly partisan political issues, Alison Staudinger (2016) states, “Students developing as
citizens need habits of mind to help them evaluate the messy and propagandistic political world” (para. 1). In
her view, the ability to judge information is not only a rational but also an ethical commitment in response to

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the values of others: “It requires a shift from one’s own reflections to the imagined reflections of others and a
dialogue between these reflections” (para. 1).
Thus, students require opportunities to actively develop metacognitive abilities to “prepare citizens for
the critical reflective work both of collective problem solving and deliberative discourse” (Staudinger, 2016,
para. 2). Using the media and tools available to them, students and instructors can engage in productive critical
dialogue and become more active producers and watchdogs of the news. Students who demonstrate knowledge
and skills in critical media literacy are more likely to develop attitudes that will compel them to develop, use,
and share news media information that has credibility and integrity, and inspire them to engage public discourse
to share these values more broadly as informed and compassionate global citizens.

Perspectives: Information Literacy and Critical Media Literacy

The knowledge focus of this course aligns with the larger sets of goals of North American postsecondary
institutions for providing education that will create informed, active global citizens and leaders (MacEwan
University, 2014; Queen’s University, 2014, Western University, 2017). Information literacy involves the
ability to effectively and efficiently analyze, evaluate, and use information sources critically and judiciously, as
well as to understand the legal, economic and social issues that shape the ethical use of information
(Association of College and Research Libraries [ACRL], 2017). In the unit plan, students have myriad
opportunities to engage with different types of news sources and to use technology for learning how to decode
text and media channels.
There is also a serious need for critical​ ​media and information literacy to be taught in the postsecondary
context. Kellner and Share (2007) define critical media literacy​ ​as “an educational response that expands the
notion of literacy to include different forms of mass communication, popular culture, and new technologies” (p.
2). Critical media literacy expands the notion of literacy to include technology-mediated communications
analysis that deepens the understanding of the relationships among media, audiences, information, and power
(Tisdall, 2008). While it is not guaranteed that students will develop a critical perspective, they can begin to
view current issues using a critical framework in the hopes of developing and refining the lens in which they
view the news long after the unit has ended. Students cannot rely on instructors or even media sources to detect
personal or societal bias and misinformation, so each module has focused on individual and collaborative efforts
for students to engage with the material and build their critical media literacy knowledge and skills in the
context of current events and areas of personal interest.

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 Key Frameworks of the Curriculum Design

Our design for this course is based in educational theory and evidence-based research that promotes the
flexible learning of critical media literacy as it relates to immigration in North America. Engaging in critical,
authentic discourse about immigration can be difficult in situations where face-to-face discussion may
disempower minorities, or when collaborative learning is limited. Through a blended learning environment,
however, students and instructors may engage in thoughtful inquiry, discourse, and reflection together in a
democratic way. In the following sections, we will outline the key frameworks of a community of inquiry that
are essential to the unit plan’s design.

Multiliteracies’ Four Components of Pedagogy

The unit is framed by the four components of pedagogy, as outlined by the New London Group (NLG),
which aims to emphasize “how negotiating the multiple linguistic and cultural differences in our society is
central to the pragmatics of the working, civic, and private lives of students” (1996, Abstract). A multiliteracies
approach focuses on a broader spectrum of modes of representation, including the cognitive, cultural, and social
effects of those representations (NLG, 1996). This is because the NLG group believes that the human mind is
“embodied, situated, and social” (p. 82). The multiliteracies approach also prioritizes educating students on the
ethical standards of online communities and being able to articulate how media can shape human perceptions
(Kafai, 2011). The curriculum utilizes a blended learning platform with a multiliteracies approach in order for
post-secondary students to develop the critical skills required to debunk myths, false information, and harmful
ideologies that circulate offline and online.
Multiliteracies design elements are of particular focus in this curriculum, in part because the information
and critical media literacy knowledge and skills relies on recognizing and utilizing the “metalanguages” that
describe and explain patterns of meaning. The NLG describe these as Linguistic Design, Visual Design, Audio
Design, Gestural Design, Spatial Design, and Multimodal Design (p. 78). While the curriculum will not focus
on teaching students the terminology of the elements of linguistic design, for example, it will teach students in a
range of multimodal activities and assignments about how, in a holistic way, elements of structure, tone, style,
coherence, and other representational choices affect multimodal meaning-making.

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Community of Inquiry
Students who engage in collaborative, purposeful, and critical discourse as well as reflection to construct
knowledge participate in what is known as a community of inquiry (CoI) (Garrison, 2000; Vaughan,
Cleveland-Innes, & Garrison, 2013). CoI embodies constructivist principles that encourage students to create
meaningful learning experiences through social, cognitive, and teaching presence (Garrison, 2000; Vaughan,
2013). We believe these components are necessary to foster an effective online community that blends
seamlessly with on-site learning.
By incorporating the principles of a CoI (Kafai, 2011; Lopez-Perez & Rodríguez-Ariza, 2011; Vaughan,
2013), we will create and then sustain collaborative and participatory learning activities through the delivery of
a blended, constructivist learning environment. Vaughan draws upon Garrison, Anderson and Archer’s (2000)
community of inquiry model for learning, a model that represents, in their view, the component parts necessary
for the creation of an effective online community. They define these components in terms of
presence--cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence--and felt that all three are necessary for
learning to take place. The combination of these presences and the interactions they foster allow for
collaborative engagement amongst the learning community in the course, and increase the potential for
discourse, critical reflection and deep understanding amongst learners. This curriculum provides opportunities
to develop a CoI in the following ways:
● Online forum discussions before and after in-class activities;
● In-class discussions based on readings and videos;
● In-class activities that require students to provide feedback on each other’s work and/or work as a group
to solve problems and create artefacts;
● Technology-mediated activities in which students create artefacts together;
● Opportunities for authentic student engagement (Veletsianos, n.d.) using relevant technology (e.g.,
social media) and game-based tools (e.g., Kahoot! activity).

Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning Outcomes and Assignments/Assessments

The “know what” and “know how” of this project focuses on developing students’ abilities in critical
media literacy on the topic of immigration. Through multimodal, participatory activities, students analyze
media, apply a critical lens to formal and informal media (mis)information, and evaluate to what effects the

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media influence public perceptions of immigration. The learning outcomes have been developed using a range
of Bloom’s taxonomic knowledge processes and cognitive domains, while considering the ACRL’s Information
Literacy Performance Indicators for students (2007).​ ​In addition to these stated outcomes, students will also
develop tacit skills in self-reflection, critical thinking, cooperation, collaboration, use of new media
technologies, and the synthesis of information from a range of media sources.
All assignments and assessments map to the learning outcomes to ensure that they are achieved. The
modules within each unit have overlapping learning outcomes to ensure that the knowledge, skills, and abilities
expectations will be introduced, reinforced, and practiced within the unit. Below is a Learning Outcomes and
Assignments Map (Figure 1) that explains where the learning outcomes, as mapped to Knowledge Processes,
Cognitive Domains, and ACLR Performance Indicators, are introduced, reinforced, and assessed for feedback.

Knowledge Cognitive ACRL Performance Project Learning Outcomes Activity Activity Assignme
Process Domain Indicators (introdu (reinforc nt
ce) e) (assess)

Factual Remember 2.3 Retrieve information Identify​ key terms (truth, 2.1 2.1 1.3
knowledge online or in person using persuasion, trustworthiness,
a variety of methods and filter bubble, etc.) related to
(2.5) extract, record, and media literacy and strategies for
manage information and obtaining trustworthy
its sources. information in the media.

Conceptual Understand 3.3 Synthesize main Explain​ the relationships 1.2 2.2 1.3/2.3
Knowledge ideas to construct new among information, media,
concepts. audiences, and power as they
apply to the topic of migration

Procedural Apply 3.2 Articulate and apply Apply​ knowledge of persuasive 1.1 2.2, 3.2 2.3
Knowledge criteria for evaluating techniques to assess
both the information and trustworthiness and bias in
its sources. media reporting.

Analyze 3.4 Compare new Examine​ media reporting from 1.2 2.3, 4.1 2.3, 3.2
knowledge with prior a critical lens to distinguish
knowledge to determine credibility in relation to
the value added, immigration in North America
contradictions, or other
unique characteristics of
the information.

Metacognitiv Evaluate 3.5 Determine whether Critique​ the effects of bias, 1.1-1.2 3.1 4.2
e Knowledge the new knowledge has post-truth politics, political
an impact on the rhetoric, and personalized news
individual’s value system on one’s self, other audiences,

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 and takes steps to social values, and those
reconcile differences. affected by migration

Create 4.1 Apply new and prior Design ​an artefact in which a 2.3 3.2 4.2
information to the critical media literacy lens is
planning and creation of utilized to show how
a particular product or storytelling, reporting
performance and (4.3)
techniques, and media channels
communicate the product
or performance drive political and social
effectively to others. agendas

Evaluate (3.5) Determine whether Develop​ self-reflective and All All All
the new knowledge has reasoned judgement to
an impact on the self-correct confirmation bias
individual’s value system and engage actively in the
and takes steps to
perspectives of pluralistic
reconcile differences.
others.

Figure 1: Learning Outcomes and Assignments Map

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 Unit Assessment Model

From a design perspective, it is necessary to plan a range of assessments that allows teachers to provide
feedback that is timely and helpful (David, 2007; Redecker & Johannessen, 2013; Vaughan et al., 2013). Our
design encourages teachers to scaffold student learning and provide students with opportunities for diagnostic,
formative, and self-assessments before they engage in summative assessment. It is our aim for these
assignments to feature authentic news and media reporting, and completed in cooperative activities, so that
students are positioned for collaborative and peripheral participation for situated learning (Lave & Wenger,
1991. The assessment model is designed to facilitate constructive attainment of “skills such as problem-solving,
reflection, creativity, critical thinking, learning to learn, risk-taking, collaboration, and entrepreneurship”
(Redecker & Johannessen, 2013), which are increasingly necessary in the 21st century, knowledge-based
economy.
Also, it is important to use quality assessment measures to verify the effectiveness of the design
environment, and multiple measures triangulate and increase the trustworthiness of the findings. To determine
the efficacy of our designed environment, we have selected the following assessment tools, as listed in the
Assessment and Measurement Chart (Figure 2) below:

Assessment Details What it Measures

Student Diagnostic, formative, and Degree to which learning outcomes were achieved (David, 2007; Redecker
assessments summative & Johannessen, 2013).

Student Mid-term and/or Students’ perceptions of the effects of the design environment on motivation,
evaluation end-of-term course engagement, and performance.
evaluation surveys

Multiliteracies Situated Practice (SP), SP:​ Immersion in experience and the utilization of available discourses,
outcomes Overt Instruction (OI), including those from the students' lifeworlds and simulations of the
Critical Framing (CP), relationships to be found in workplaces and public spaces.
Transformed Practice (TP) OI: ​Systematic, analytic, and conscious understanding, requiring the
introduction of explicit metalanguages, which describe and interpret the

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 Design elements of different modes of meaning.
CF:​ Interpreting the social and cultural context of particular Designs of
meaning, involving the students' standing back from what they are studying
and viewing it critically in relation to its context.
TP:​ Transfer in meaning-making practice, which puts the transformed
meaning to work in other contexts or cultural sites.

CAST Accessibility for The ​UDL in higher education​ framework measures accessibility and student
participatory learning participation (i.e., the ​why, what ​and ​how ​of learning).

CoL survey Blended learning Measures social, cognitive, and teaching presence.

Google Usability and user Monitors Wordpress frequency of use and user behaviour to gauge key
Analytics experience testing design efficacy and need for adjustment. Data can inform level of
accessibility, plugin performance, and usability limitations and strengths.

Figure 2: Assessment and Measurement Chart

Assignments & Evaluation

There are eight graded individual assignments in “Challenging Critical ‘Alternative’ Facts About
Immigration News.” Additional details for each assignment can be found in the Assignments section of the
course website. See the Assignment Time Expectations and Weighting Chart (Figure 3) below.

Modules Assignments Time Weighted

Expectations

A1.1 Situating Media Literacy Historically: Reflective Journal Entry and 2 hours 10%
Forum Discussion

A1.2 The Danger of a Single Story Online Forum Discussion 1 hour 5%

A2.1 Social Media Backtrack Journal Assignment 2 hours 10%

A2.2 Social Media Backtrack Journal: Online Forum Discussion 1 hour 5%

A3.1 Immigration Story Interview 10 hours 25%

A3.2 Immigration Story Online Forum Discussion 1 hours 5%

A4.1 Media Channel and Immigration Wiki Entry Assignment 3 hours 20%

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 A4.2 Evaluating the Credibility of North American Media Sources on 4 hours 10%
Immigration: Online Forum Discussion

Participation (5% Self-Assessment, 5% Course Assessment) 10%

Figure 3: Assignment Time Expectations and Weighting Chart

Online Forum Discussions will be graded on the following criteria:​ timely posting; clear, concise
content; culturally sensitive dialogue; thought provoking questions; properly cited works; and professional
dialogue. Also, included are end of course self and course evaluations. The self-assessment is designed so that
students can reflect upon their learning, and the course assessment is designed so that instructors can receive
feedback regarding whether the course design has met the goals and objectives of the course learning outcomes
from a student perspective.

Participation and Course Evaluation Forms are available here:

http://etec510b.uwo.ca/?attachment_id=441

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 Technology and Tools for Blended Learning

Blended Learning
Blended and/or hybrid learning have been defined in many different ways, in terms of the use of
technology, the activities undertaken, the location of the activities, and the control of the learner over the place
and/or pace of learning (Tucker, 2012). They have been divided by various scholars into different sets of
classifications and categories (Staker & Horn, 2012). The unit plan employs the views of Dziuban, Hartman,
and Moskal (2004), who define hybrid courses as combining “face-to-face and online instruction with reduced
seat time” and “should be viewed as a pedagogical approach that combines the effectiveness and socialization
opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online
environment” (p. 3). Blended learning has been found to result in modestly better performance than face-to-face
learning, particularly when it provided outcomes that included exercising metacognitive abilities and engaging
learners (Hsu & Hsieh, 2014). However, not all studies have demonstrated modest or no differences, as one
meta-analysis shows (Zhao & Breslow, 2013).
Thus, the creators of this blended unit have considered the significant challenges that instructors and
students face in blended learning environments. This is why all of the online tools have been carefully selected
for their social affordances, allowing space for students to meaningfully engage with one another (e.g., online
discussion boards with directive questions). As well, all of the tools are cost-effective and user-friendly in
nature. Even so, the modules contain instructions for how to use the social technologies, as well as the
expectations for how they are to be used on-site and online. The tools students use online are not designed to be
used in isolation from in-class activities. Rather, the lesson plans have been thoughtfully designed to begin with
a reflection from the online learning experiences, allowing for learners to engage in metacognitive thinking and
smooth transitions between mediums. Metacognitive skills play a critical role in successful blended learning
(Flavell, 1987), which is why the online and on-site lessons encourage students to engage in thoughtful
individual and collaborative reflection and engage in real-world problems about the media’s representation of
immigration.

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Participatory Media
New technologies are powerful tools that can be used to enlighten but also manipulate audiences,
making it essential for students to learn how to apply critical analytical processes (Kellner & Share, 2007).
Participatory media allows the audience to play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing,
and disseminating information in a range of formats. It is also related to the notion of democratic media and
citizen journalism, in which the public creates, uses, and shares media, especially through the Internet. Public
participation in news media is emerging as a high impact form of news reporting in the digital world (Bulkley,
2012). Thus, the design of this learning environment puts students in realistic situations in which they must take
on the roles and lexicon of scrutinous civic journalists as they assess news credibility and author public
knowledge. Students will utilize different types of participatory media resources (e.g., VoxPop interviews)
while also participating in sophisticated media production and providing their own social and cultural critiques
in creative settings, including:
● Using flexible, social learning tools such as the Wiki to enable the educationally valuable practice of
representing ideas in a public forum where they can be critiqued and modified;
● Engaging in public knowledge sharing and authoring through the Genius Web Annotator tool;
● Constructing a media artefact that remixes multimodal perspectives;
● Constructing social knowledge about immigration for the public good through personal expression and
choice (e.g., creating a comic strip, writing a story, etc.);
● Transforming the way information about immigration circulates and is constructed in the media by
assessing the quality of online sources, tools, and channels.
As articulated by Jenkins (2009), students require in-person and technological support as they engage in
participatory culture and media expression. This is of particular importance as they work to deconstruct media
messages and overcome the digital divide’s transparency problem, which are the “challenges young people face
in learning to recognize the ways that media shape perceptions of the world” (xii). Through a blended design
with a wide selection of participatory tools and media, we aim to encourage the full participation of all students
as they discover new media literacies.

Technology and Tools

Students will have the opportunity to use the following technologies and tools as listed in the Technology and
Tools Chart (Figure 4).

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 Web-based News Channels Websites
News Groups
Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube)
List-Servs

Programs and Applications Genius Web Annotator

Google Forms
Kahoot
iTunes
Online Matching Game

Wordpress Site - Pages

http://etec510b.uwo.ca/ Discussion Forum
Wiki
Figure 4: Technology and Tools Chart

How to Use the Lesson Plans and WordPress Site

A summary of the lesson plans is available in the next section of this guide, which provides an overview
of each module (the “why”), the activities within (the “how”), an introductory activity to set expectations for
students, and extension activities that may substitute or be added to the lessons. The WordPress site is a tool
that can be used to deliver the unit to students. The WordPress site contains instructions for students regarding
onsite and online activities, links to readings and videos, and assignment and assessment information. The site
also provides tools for completing activities, such as the discussion forum plugin and the Wiki plugin. All
handouts, instructions, and extension activities are available for download on the WordPress site.

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 Module Lesson Plan Overview

The following InterActivities proposed for this design plan are rooted in the four components of
pedagogy, as outlined by the NLG (1996). Activities are designed to immerse the learners in the language of
misinformation and post-truth political strategies, as well as different types of media sources and how they are
created. In four distinct stages, learners “frame their growing mastery” (NLG, 1996) by learning new concepts
and through a variety of assessments synthesize what they have learned through collaborative activities.
Activities will include ongoing discussion, analysis and creation of media artefacts, and reflection on their own
personal development. The activities and assessments in each stage are outlined below, which also indicate the
online or on-site format.
The first two modules focus on foundational knowledge, and the second two modules build on prior
knowledge and expand thinking. The modules focus on various Bloom’s Taxonomic Knowledge Domains and
Cognitive abilities, as explained in more detail in the prior section. The multiliteracies stages are mapped to the
modules, as shown in Figure 5 below.

Multiliteracies Stages Title/Topic of the Modules

1. Situating Media Literacy M1: Situating Truth and Bias in the Media

2. Critical Framing M2: Critically Framing (Mis)Information and (Post)Truth

3. Overt Instruction M3: Providing Overt Instruction for Reflection on Immigration

4. Transforming Practice M4: Transforming Practice through Collaborative Media Production

Figure 5: Multiliteracies Stages and Modules.

Introductory Course Activity

It is highly recommended that the course begins with a face-to-face session in which the instructor
provides an introduction and describes the structure of the course. This blended course is highly interactive with
many activities grounded in situated learning methodologies and as such requires a highly engaged community
of learners to get maximum success (Lave and Wenger, 1991). An introductory session provides the instructor
opportunity to describe the blended nature of the course. This is important as the course combines two different,

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yet overlapping, modes of delivery within the design, and students need to stay on top of what is required of
them.
This introductory activity is of high importance to establish and sustain a community of learners in
which open communication, cohesion, and interpersonal connections are present throughout (Vaughan et al.,
2013). The presence of a high functioning community of learners is integral to the success of this course as
without it, the elements of the design, organization, delivery, and assessment will be hindered.
A key reason for this introductory session is to build trust within the group as trust is necessary in order
for students to be willing to express themselves in the online and in-class discussions. “Trust is built by
removing unknowns about other group members,” and “it is generally recognized that starting with a
face-to-face experience can expedite setting climate and developing community” (Vaughan et al., 2013, p. 26).
Recommended activities to facilitate a group getting to know one another are many, but what is important is
that the group leave the session knowing what the expectations are of them in both online and in-class activities.
It is also recommended that you set ground rules for the discussion boards, which can be done in a group
setting. Some specific recommendations are the following:
● Participate​:​ It is not enough to login and read the discussion thread of others. For the maximum benefit
to all, everyone must contribute.
● Be Patient:​ ​Read everything in the discussion thread before replying. Acknowledge the points made with
which you agree and suggest alternatives for those with which you don’t.
● Be Brief: You want to be clear—and to articulate your point—without being preachy or pompous. Be
direct. Stay on point. Don’t lose yourself, or your readers, in overly wordy sentences or paragraphs.
● Use Proper Writing Style: Correct spelling, grammatical construction and sentence structure are
expected in every other writing activity associated with scholarship and academic engagement. Online
discussions are no different.
● Cite Your Sources: If your contribution to the conversation includes the intellectual property (authored
material) of others—online or in print—they must be given proper attribution.
● Emoticons and Texting: Social networking and text messaging has spawned a body of linguistic
shortcuts that are not part of the academic dialogue. Please refrain from :-) faces and c u l8r’s.
● Respect Diversity: It’s an ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural world in which we live. Use no
language that is—or that could be construed to be—offensive toward others.

[AUTHOR NAME] 19
 ● No YELLING! Beware the electronic footprint you leave behind. Using bold upper-case letters is bad
form, like stomping around and yelling at somebody.
● No Flaming! Criticism must be constructive, well-meaning, and well-articulated. Rants directed at any
other contributor are simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The same goes for profanity.

(adapted from, O’Connor, P. (nd): ​http://teaching.colostate.edu/tips/tip​)

Lesson Plan Overview for Module 1

Lesson Plan M.1

Module 1.1
Why - ​The readings selected offer insight into misinformation, post-truth politics, and fake
news issues highlighted in the current media landscape. They demonstrate the power of the
media to influence public opinion, while also situating the media as a tool for politicians to
influence public opinion within the wider historical context. These are only suggested
readings and videos, but they offer a rounded introduction on which the first discussion activity is based. The
activities stimulate students into thinking about current issues that are played out in the media in which public
opinion is sought. It is also the intention of the design that this activity establishes a baseline of understanding
on which the instructor can scaffold further discussions. They are designed to “provide the big-picture
[scaffolding] upon which students can grow their own knowledge and discipline-centred discoveries”
(Anderson, 2008, p. 49), and to “gain an understanding of students’ prerequisite knowledge, including any
misconceptions that the learner starts with in their construction of new knowledge” (p. 49).

How - ​We recommend that at the end of the introductory in-class activity, the instructor
directs students to the readings and recommends that they read them as soon as possible. The
readings and videos will take 30-60 minutes, and the online discussions are required to take
place over the course of the week. Give students a date to post their Reflective Journal Entry in order to allow
for enough time to facilitate the subsequent discussion.

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 Module 1.2
Why - ​Now that students have been introduced to critical media literacy in historical contexts
and reflected and discussed within a contemporary context, it is time to introduce some of the
key persuasion techniques employed. The following activity will permit the students to
reflect upon the previous discussion exercise before moving on to learning some terminology
in preparation for the activities in M1.3.

How - ​The on-site class begins with a follow-up discussion of the readings and viewings
completed online in M1.1. Then, the instructor provides a list of persuasion techniques, and
students review the terms through an interactive multiple choice Kahoot activity (David,
2007). The intention of this activity is to encourage the development of learner autonomy and self-evaluation
(David, 2007). Students then consolidate their learning in a Think-Pair-Share discussion of persuasion
techniques following a viewing of one of the resources on the lesson plan. The instructor should decide on
whether the class should view a single example, or students should choose their own examples, based on the
level of the class.

Module 1.3
Why - ​The final activity in this module personalizes the theories and concepts previously
investigated, while requiring students to assess the persuasion techniques identified in M1.2
in relation to how the media influences their own lives. “The Danger of a Single Story” is a
mode of thinking conceptualized by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and articulated in a TedTalk
whereby we are all susceptible to bias of particular groups of people due to representations in the media. This
activity facilitates the “construction personal meaning and confirm(ing) it through discourse” (Vaughan et al.,
2013, p. 36) which is “essential to a collaborative constructivist view of learning” (Vaughan et al., 2013, p. 22).

How - ​This summative activity asks students to analyze their own possible biases that have been
influenced by misrepresentation in the media through reflective discussion postings and
discussion responses. This final activity and assessment is a mixture of graded and ungraded
exercises. The initial ungraded activity is designed to assist students in the composition of their

[AUTHOR NAME] 21
final graded reflection as it establishes “a climate that will support open communication and cohesion”
(Vaughan, et al., 2013. p. 27). It is important here that you encourage students to take intellectual risks in order
for students to feel comfortable participating in the learning community (Teaching Excellence & Educational
Innovation, 2015). Establishing a solid foundation for the learning community early on encourages active
student participation throughout the course.

Lesson Plan Overview for Module 2

Lesson Plan M.2

Module 2.1
Why - ​This module section provides a transition from the previous module by way of a
review/formative assessment, and homework for students to prepare them for in-class work.
The purpose of this module section is to reinforce and consolidate understanding of key terms
and concepts, through receiving and reflecting on prior knowledge as well as new
information, so that students use them in the context of applying criteria for assessing and evaluating news
media.

How - ​Students complete an online matching game to review terminology from M1.Then,
they are asked to read an article on identifying “fake news,” and watch a video on the way that
personalized news sources shapes the way that people access news in the first place. Students
are given guided viewing/reading questions to answer and bring to class.

Module 2.2
Why ​- This module section extends knowledge by encouraging students to apply the
understanding of context and the terminology of persuasion to assessing web-based news
media.

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 How - ​In class, students form groups and apply the CRAAP test to a new source using the
checklist provided. They are introduced to the Genius Web Annotator, which enables news
users to annotate overtop of any web page. Students use what they have learned about
discerning web site credibility and bias, and annotate a web source.

Module 2.3
Why - ​This module section consolidates students’ knowledge on the relationships between
information presentation and the political, economic, and social agendas and intentions of
news authors, media channels, and even users who only access certain types of news media.
Students should be aware of how information changes as it migrates and is repurposed across
media channels.

How - ​Once students have learned about how news media persuades its audience using
techniques that bolster credibility and appear to reduce bias (or appeal to the reader’s bias),
and consider how bias is re-confirmed through media shared through personalized news
channels, students will engage in a “Backtrack” journal activity in which they will look at a
news media source, and follow the information from that source back to its original source. Students are
encouraged to follow the trail to determine the extent to which the information has changed, become obscured,
etc. by the author and the media channel. The intention of this assessment is to have the students demonstrate
the investigative skills necessary to critique media sources (Redecker & Johannessen, 2013). Students share
their findings through forum discussion.  

Lesson Plan Overview for Module 3

Lesson Plan M.3

Module 3.1
Why - ​Students have been examining discourses on immigration in North America from a
predominately news/political orientation. This module provides an alternative narrative

[AUTHOR NAME] 23
format, that of storytelling from immigrants’ own perspectives. The goal of this section is to give students
opportunities to engage with other stories of immigration and address what may be students’ own biases, and to
confer “authority” or the power of storytelling not to news media but to the immigrants themselves. By hearing
immigrant stories firsthand, students are encouraged to develop empathy for them, and to recognize that the
beliefs nationals have about immigrants is largely based on bias and misinformation. Moreover, the section
encourages students to acknowledge that credibility and bias can exist in discourses and narratives of
immigration (both from immigrants and nationals) at the same time.

How​ - Students will prepare for the on-site lesson by viewing and answering guided reading
questions for two videos that tell the stories of immigrants. In class, students discuss the
stories and the elements of credibility and bias that exist in them. Students then watch an
immigration video, hearing the opinions of others on immigration, and engage in a
think-pair-share activity.

Module 3.2
Why - ​In the next module section, students extend their thinking on immigrant narratives by
investigating the story of an immigrant whom they know to build their empathy and
understanding of the power of the storyteller to shape the story through the
transcription/interpretation of it. This section also has students consider the ethical and
political implications of other people’s stories.

How​ - Students are given instructions for the interview, and are led through a discussion on
ethical conduct for interviewing and transcribing someone else’s story. Students then work on
presenting their story in class for others, taking care to preserve the interviewee’s meaning and
intentions.

Module 3.3
Why -​ This reflection activity requires students to question the techniques they employed
either consciously or subconsciously in their own media gathering. This activity is designed

[AUTHOR NAME] 24
so that students “critically self-assesses and reflect upon their learning” (​Kalantzis & Cope, 2000, p. 208)​ in
order to analyze biases they experienced in their interview via the concepts studied in previous modules. This
activity provides opportunity to develop automacy and skills necessary to transfer their knowledge to different
contexts and new knowledge structures (Anderson, 2013, p. 49).

How - ​For students to get the most from this module, we recommend that the nature of this
final activity is held from students until after the interview. This will facilitate interviews that
are not created with this analytical bias in mind. We do recommend the instructor suggests
that they consider the techniques and material learned in previous modules while writing their
questions and delivering the interview. However, we want students to avoid any bias generated through prior
knowledge of this subsequent activity. If possible, give students some time for this activity, at least 3-4 days, as
otherwise the activity could be rushed and students will not have sufficient time to engage in an iterative
process of discussion and reflection necessary for constructing and confirming knowledge (Vaughan et al.,
2013, p. 36; Brennan & Resnick, 2013, p. 256)

Lesson ​Plan Overview for Module 4

Lesson Plan M.4

Module 4.1
Why -​ ​Module 4 offers two culminating activities that allows students to reinforce and master
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed in previous modules. The activity in M4.1 is a
reflection on the work done in M2, focusing on CoI and participatory media, enabling
students to collaborate together to evaluate and annotate sources using web-based technology.

How - ​Instructors should remind students to prepare their homework ahead of time to bring to
class, namely the web-based article on immigration in the news that they will assess using the
CRAAP test and the Genius Web Annotator. Students should be reminded to bring the
CRAAP Checklist, as well as a device to use the Annotator in class. In class, the instructor
should prepare to show the terminology from M1, the instructions on using the Annotator from M2, and the

[AUTHOR NAME] 25
discussion questions from M3. Students should be encouraged to integrate elements from the previous modules
into their web-based news media assessment. The class should be dedicated to group work, with students
completing write-ups for online discussions after class.

Module 4.2
Why - ​As with Module 4.1, Module 4.2 focuses on CoI and participatory media insofar as the
final activity and assignment is a collaborative Wiki in which students design an entry that
focuses on assessing a particular media channel. The goal of this activity is to enable students
to use their critical media literacy skills not only to be able to assess the credibility and biases
of individual web pages but also the web channels through which they are provided. A second goal of the
activity is to expose students to multiple media channels through which students may access news media on the
topic of immigration.

How - ​ Given that students already have a basic familiarity with Wiki technology, students
will choose a media channel from the Wiki page. Students will populate the page after
completing a few prior steps. Students will examine 3 samples of news information using the
CRAAP test, and complete a Google Form that helps them to assess the media channel and
samples. Then, students will use the Form as a basis for writing the media channel assessment. Students will be
provided with a rubric so they have an understanding of what is expected on this Wiki page. In general,
however, students are to give some background information about the channel, and then provide a summary of
the types of publications, the nature of the information, the level of bias and credibility, as well as the variety of
authors that contribute to the channel. This information will inform their final evaluation of the affordances and
constraints of the channel in terms of the immigration news that it shares, particularly in terms of how it shapes
public opinion about immigration in North America. This Wiki can be used as a database for other users when
assessing the credibility and bias of immigration news in the media. It will also expand users’ understanding of
the news media channels available on immigration.

[AUTHOR NAME] 26
 Extension Activities
Included in the plan are extension activities, which provide instructors with options and flexibility when
designing the course they want to deliver. The activities can be added onto the existing structure to lengthen the
course, or can replace existing activities to modify the existing structure as required.

Module 1
In-class activity: Students participate in a ​Travelling Discussion​ on the topic of persuasive language.

Module 2
In-class or online activity: Students create a fake news report. In pairs, students use the techniques of
persuasion, misinformation, and post-truth to create as convincing of a fake news report as possible. Examples
might be a newscast, media release, web page, and so on. Students’ fake news reports are mixed in with real
news reports, and all students must validate the real from the fake reports. Students submit for assessment the
final artifact, plus a written description of the persuasion strategies used, and why.

Module 3
Online activity: The class will be split into groups of even numbers, and each group will be given a
discussion board in which to host their debate. This discussion board should be hosted in a private format, e.g.,
Slack, password-protected LMS, etc. This instructor must have access to the group to monitor and grade the
discussion. Each group will take sides in a debate that responds to the following stimulus question: How does
the media affect our views on immigration? Each group member must take an active role in the debate and post
10 substantive comments of at least 100 words. This debate will be held online so that students are able to
consider their responses before posting them. By providing a contrasting debate format, we offer students
variety in which they can express themselves and demonstrate their learning.

Module 4
In-class or online activity: Students work together to create a rubric to evaluate the Wiki entries. They
also provide a written reflection on another peer’s project through peer evaluation, noting what they learned
from their assessment of another student’s Wiki entries.

[AUTHOR NAME] 27
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