Full course description
We live in an era of information overload. Every scroll, click, and share puts us in contact with content designed to persuade, provoke, or mislead, and AI has made that content easier than ever to fabricate and spread at scale. For educators, the stakes are uniquely high: teachers are not only navigating this landscape themselves, but shaping how an entire generation of students learns to engage with it.
Critical media literacy (CML) is the skill set that makes the difference between a passive consumer and an active, discerning reader of multimodal content. It means asking who created a piece of content and why, recognizing the techniques used to bypass our rational judgment, understanding how algorithms shape what we see, and knowing how AI-generated text, images, and video can mimic trustworthy sources.
This fully online, asynchronous (self-paced) program gives educators a practical, accessible, and equity-centered foundation in CML, equipping them to apply these skills in their own lives and model them for their students. In a classroom environment increasingly shaped by rapid curricular change, book bans, and the mainstreaming of AI-generated misinformation, critical thinking about media is no longer optional. It is essential.
Dates & Registration
This program is fully online and asynchronous (self-paced). There are no scheduled meetings or live sessions to attend. You complete coursework on your own schedule, with deadlines to keep you on track.
- Three-week program running July 6 through July 24
- Self-paced within the session window. Complete work on your own schedule
- Assigned deadlines for submitting coursework
- No required meetings or live attendance
- Optional zoom office hours available
Price: $295
For more information, questions, or to register: Email tcacademy@tc.columbia.edu