Running head: CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 1

Challenging “Alternative” Facts about Immigration:

A Design for Building Critical Media Literacy

Simon Bailey, Stephanie Mauro, Paige McClelland, and Elan Paulson

University of British Columbia

February 12, 2017

ETEC 510 Section 65B

Professor: Dr. Diane Janes

CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 2

Introduction

The media has a powerful role in crafting national perceptions of immigrants, and the

negative effects of dehumanized media portrayals of migrants in recent times leads Wired’s

journalist Liat Clark to conclude that “the need to curtail media's negative portrayals seems

desperately important” (2013, n.p.). This proposal describes a learning environment design that,

through a blended learning model that utilizes participatory, multimodal learning, increases

students’ capacities to challenge “alternative” facts (i.e. misinformation) about migration. This

proposal overviews key frameworks that ground the design, the learning environment design, the

knowledge focus, and the designs’ InterActivities and verifications.

Key Frameworks

Dynamic educational design environments provide opportunities to leverage high impact

theories deeply rooted in evidence-based research. Students who engage in collaborative,

purposeful, and critical discourse as well as reflection to construct knowledge together

participate in what is known as a community of inquiry (CoI) (Garrison, 2000; Vaughn, 2013).

CoI embodies constructivist principles that encourage students to create meaningful learning

experiences through social, cognitive, and teaching presence (Garrison, 2000; Vaughan, 2013).

Our CoI design proposal 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). By incorporating the principles of a CoI (Kafai, 2001; Lopez-

Perez, 2011; Vaughan, 2013), we will create and then sustain collaborative and participatory

learning activities through the delivery of a blended, constructivist learning environment.

Blended learning has been theorized to take many forms. For this proposal we understand

blended learning in its broadest sense, in which we utilize a combination of face-to-face and
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 3

online learning activities. By combining synchronous and asynchronous online learning

(Vaughan, 2013), we aim to maintain a strong teacher presence while utilizing the web as well as

build a student-centred educational experience.

Our design 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 in Canada 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.

Our proposal for a unit plan supported by a blended environment is informed by the

pedagogy approach known as “multiliteracies” (NLG, 1996). A multiliteracies approach focuses

on a broader spectrum of modes of representation, including the cognitive, cultural, and social

effects of those representations (NLG, 1996). 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, 2007). 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). We utilize a blended learning platform

with a multiliteracies approach in order for post-secondary students to develop the critical skills

to debunk myths, false information, and harmful ideologies that circulate offline and online.

Intentions and Positions

With a blended design that supports user experience and universal design for learning

(UDL), we will use situated and informal learning opportunities to build students’ critical media

literacy. In particular, we will leverage a Wordpress site within the formal context of post-

secondary for a CoI in which students engage in powerful discourse and reflection with peers,
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 4

faculty, and the broader community. The blended platform’s activities are designed to challenge

“common-sense assumptions” about immigration while “engaging the core concepts of critical

media literacy as they apply to audience, text, and content” (Kellner & Share, 2007, p. 63). In

this way, students will engage in authentic opportunities to “create out of diversity and history a

new, vigorous, and equitable public realm” (NLG, 1996, p. 69).

In a collaborative and blended environment, students are able to situate their learning in

the context of real current events in which misinformation spreads and is drawn from the

collective intelligence of other media sources. Thus, students will engage in participation as a

critical aspect of new media education (Kafai & Peppler, 2011). Establishing a supportive

learning environment is important if students are to engage authentically with contentious

information and media. Indeed, Lave and Wenger (1991) reasoned that knowledge is situated in

the roles of community members, yet learners’ actions are constrained by the environments in

which knowledge is produced. Our design establishes a safe, open communication and learning

environment for students not only to develop multiliteracies but also enable them to take

ownership of their learning, promoting lifelong learning in the future.

By focusing our online design on user experience and user-friendly features as well as

ensuring that activities provide clear expectations and outcomes, students will likely be

motivated to use the Wordpress site. As well, the Wiki plug-in affords a flexible, self-directed

space that provides opportunities for transformative learning by supporting natural discussions

and creative activities. Ultimately, our design supports Veletsianos’s (n.d.) reasoning that

blended spaces should support deep learning engagement. The Wordpress site will not be used to

simply store information, but will rather guide the inquiry process and provide creative channels

for online and onsite learning. Using in-class delivery to foster higher-order thinking that links
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 5

and expands upon online learning activities and reflection (Vaughan et al., 2013) is a key aspect

of our design, which supports our overarching goal of ensuring that students can apply critical

media and information literacy skills to authentic media.

The Wordpress site, with a Wiki plug-in, allows students not only to share “one’s

individual story of learning” (Vaughan et al., 2013, p. 35) but also to see how others have used

their multiliteracies toolkits in their learning journeys. Furthermore, the learning environment

supports accessible participation that allows students to express differing viewpoints in

supportive ways. Each activity is structured to expose students to various media types to activate

their background knowledge and provide them with choices for demonstrating their knowledge

in ways that align with their interests (CAST, 2015). From a design perspective, it is necessary to

plan a range of assessments that allows teachers to provide feedback that is timely and helpful

(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.

Critics in the education field have warned against using online tools for what sceptics

have described as “edutainment” purposes, arguing that technology is often used without asking

“why” (Apple, as cited in Okan, 2003). We intend to use media and the Wordpress platform with

intention, namely to promote deep, meaningful learning coupled with the skills to deconstruct

media messages. It must be noted that the affordances of Wikis as an open access source of

knowledge for the public good has been advanced but also critiqued (Cash, 2009). Although the

Wiki format has limitations in how knowledge is created (and who creates it), we aim to teach

students about how knowledge is constructed and publicly shared in an open source format, so

they may learn to use online collaboration tools safely, effectively, and critically.
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 6

We have created a blended learning unit that motivates students by engaging them on key

issues and with each other. The unit plan is designed to be democratic and inclusive, using

assessments that connect online with in-class learning to promote critical thinking. In addition,

students have ample opportunity to analyze their own thinking as well as contribute

meaningfully to purposeful and equitable group work. Such a learning environment supports

social presence (Picciano, 2002), open communication, inquiry, reflection, and critical discourse

as they navigate a complex, often turbulent, social climate of a world whose media is, at

unprecedented rates, distorting information to serve political and economic agendas.

Key Concepts and Contexts

In terms of our project context, the United States of America has a new presidential office

whose values are shared and reinforced by alt-right agendas in both formal and informal media

outlets, and misinformation is influencing public perceptions. 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 US (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

(Midgley, 2017).

Post-truth politics utilizes misinformation in emotionally based arguments rooted in fears

and anxieties, and such appeals have shaped perception of US 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. Laybats and Tredinick (2016) propose the “remedy for this malady of misinformation

has been information literacy, digital literacy, and critical reasoning skills” (p. 202).
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 7

Students must be immersed and engaged in applying different multiliteracies to a range

of media sources. In a “post-truth” world, one containing social media algorithms that “feed us

content we are in tune with, and filter out content that we might find objectionable, unpalatable,

or simply uninteresting” (Laybats & Tredinnick, 2016, p. 204), it is more important than ever

that post-secondary institutions align a critical pedagogy with a multiliteracies toolkit.

The knowledge focus of our project aligns with the larger sets of goals for developing

information literacy across North American postsecondary institutions. 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). We recognize that “information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning” (ACRL,

2017, Information Literacy Defined, para. 2), but there is also a serious need for critical media

and information literacy to be taught in the postsecondary context, and not simply through

readings and lectures. 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).

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 media influence public perceptions of

immigration. Using Bloom’s taxonomic knowledge processes and cognitive domains, with the
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 8

ACRL’s Information Literacy Performance Indicators for students (2007), the learning outcomes

of this project are listed in the chart below:

Knowledge Cognitive ACRL Performance Indicators Project Learning Outcomes

Process Domain

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

Conceptual Understand 3.3 Synthesize main ideas to construct Explain the relationships among
Knowledge new concepts. information, media, audiences, and
power.

Procedural Apply 3.2 Articulate and apply criteria for Relate media literacy skills to
Knowledge evaluating both the information and its trustworthiness and bias in media
sources. reporting.

Analyze 3.4 Compare new knowledge with prior Contrast media from a critical lens to
knowledge to determine the value added, distinguish between accurate and false
contradictions, or other unique reporting and scare mongering
characteristics of the information. information.

Metacognitive Evaluate 3.5 Determine whether the new Critique the effects of misinformation
Knowledge knowledge has an impact on the and false news reporting on audiences,
individual’s value system and takes steps social values, and those affected by
to reconcile differences. migration

Create 4.1 Apply new and prior information to
the planning and creation of a particular
product or performance and (4.3)
communicate the product or performance
effectively to others.
Collaboratively design web-based
content in which a critical media
literacy lens is utilized to explain
reporting techniques that drive political
agendas

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.

In terms of academic scholarship underpinning this project, Nowak, Abel, and Ross

(2007) call for more research-informed teaching and curriculum design practices so that media

education outcomes are not just encouraged but also achieved. Thus, academic scholarship

underpins the critical approach and knowledge concepts under consideration in this unit design.
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 9

Critical and social justice theorists (e.g., Paulo Freire, Michael Apple, and bell hooks) have

argued that cultivating an active awareness of social issues, and promoting civic engagement

through education, are needed to raise social consciousness and address inequity for a more

socially just society. Esses, who has for decades examined media portrayals of migrants,

indicates that “a major goal of this research is to . . . counteract the negative messages that tend

to be disseminated” (as cited in Clark, 2013, n.p.). Critical media literacy skills (Nowak, Abel,

and Ross, 2007; Kellner & Share, 2005; Alvermann, Moon, & Hagood, 1999; Semali &

Pailliotet, 1999) is a corrective for post-truth politics, and scholarship has been undertaken to

better understand digital literacy levels (Torralba, 2015) and strategies for teaching digital

literacy (Kim, 2016; Gilhooly & Lee, 2014).

InterActivities Overview

The following InterActivities proposed for this design plan are rooted in the four

components of pedagogy—situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing, and transformed

practice—as outlined in the NLG’s paper, “A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social

futures” (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 a final debate, analysis and

creation of media artifacts, and reflection on their own personal development. The activities and

assessments in each stage are outlined below, which also indicate the online or onsite format.
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 10

Stage 1: Situating Media Literacy

Activity Format Learning Activities for Assessment
No.

1.1 Online Students read/watch/listen to a set of curated media artifacts that exemplify the use of post-
truth rhetoric to drive political agendas and influence public opinion.

1.2 Online Students compose their thoughts on what they have seen/read/heard into any form of media.
Sharing with the group is optional, but they must share with the instructor. Students will be
instructed to be honest and candid in order to reflect on their learning at the end of the unit.

1.3 In-class The final activity in this stage is a discussion (facilitated by the instructor) on the persuasive
techniques used to communicate the message, and the possible outcomes on individuals and
groups. Students compare the messaging techniques and consider who profits from the
message (i.e., what are the hidden agendas of the media content?).

Stage 2: Critically Framing (Mis)Information and (Post)Truth

Activity Format Learning Activities and Assessments
No.

2.1 Online Have students read/watch the following:

 Read: “Fake News is Real: Here’s How to Know if You Are Reading It”:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-find-fake-
news_us_589223d6e4b0e35f0fb3c821.
 Watch “Beware Online Filter Bubbles”:
https://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.

2.2 In-class Students create a fake news report in a formal environment. 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
(instruct students to use a non-personal account). They must submit for assessment the final
artifact, plus a written description of the persuasion strategies used, and why.

Stage 3: Providing Overt Instruction for Reflection on Immigration

Activity Format Learning Activities and Assessments
No.

3.1 In-class Formative assessment: Instructor to create a compendium of media reports and have students
discuss the reports in the context of “truth.” Students will reflect on what truth is in the
context of immigration news in North America.

3.2 In-class Students are shown video interviews of those affected by immigration and immigration
policies. The people included in the collection should be broad: immigrants, refugees, family
members split from their family, members of community in areas with high immigrant
population, etc. The style can range from formal interviews to Vox Pop style street
interviews.

3.3 Online Students take pro and anti-immigration sides and debate the different sides of the issue.
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 11

Stage 4: Transforming Practice through Collaborative Media Production

Activity Format Learning Activities and Assessments
No.

4.1 In-class Summative assessment: Groups produce a “watchdog” Wiki in which they collaborate to
synthesize media artifacts about immigration. This activity is designed to establish the group's
knowledge within a distributed environment.

4.2 Online Self reflection & summative assessment: Students create a self-reflection (text, video, mp3)
that evaluates their learning over the course of the unit. They should refer to their initial
reflection from Stage 1 and other activities and assessments to determine what they have
learned, why it matters, and how it will inform their future actions. This activity situates their
own personal learning within the context of honest and private reflection.

Mapping Interactivities to Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes are cited in the chart below, along with the corresponding

activities and assignments that introduce, reinforce, and assess student learning:

Unit Learning Outcomes Activity Activity Assignment

(introduce) (reinforce) (assess)

List key terms (truth, persuasion, trustworthiness, filter bubble) 2.1 2.1 2.2
related to media literacy, and strategies for obtaining trustworthy
information.

Explain the relationships among information, media, audiences, and 1.1-2 3.1 3.3
power.

Relate information and media literacy skills to trustworthiness and 1.1 1.2 1.3
bias in media reporting.

Contrast media from a critical lens to distinguish between accurate 1.3. 4.1 3.3
and false reporting and scare mongering information.

Critique the effects of misinformation and false news reporting on 1.1-3 3.2 4.2
audiences, social values and those affected by migration.

Collaboratively design web-based content in which a critical media 4.1 4.1 4.2
literacy lens is utilized to explain reporting techniques that drive
political agendas.

Verifications

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.

We will use the following tools to determine the efficacy of our designed environment:
CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 12

Assessment Details What it Measures

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

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

Multiliteracies Situated Practice (SP), Overt
outcomes Instruction (OI), Critical
Framing (CP), Transformed
Practice (TP)
SP: Immersion in experience and the utilization of available
discourses, including those from the students' lifeworlds and
simulations of the relationships to be found in workplaces
and public spaces.
OI: Systematic, analytic, and conscious understanding,
requiring the introduction of explicit metalanguages, which
describe and interpret the 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 participatory The UDL in higher education framework measure
learning accessibility and student participation (i.e., the why, what and
how of learning).

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

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

Given the flexibility of our blended design environment and the multiple verification measures

that consider a range of design components, components of the unit can be modified and

improved based on the assessment feedback we receive.

CHALLENGING “ALTERNATIVE” FACTS 13

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