This document outlines plans for the development of online media literacy courses through Work Package 6 at Sumy State University in Ukraine. The work package will create over 20 online courses to raise analytical thinking and media literacy among students, teachers, and the general public. Key activities include forming a team to develop the courses, creating online content and materials, piloting the courses, and evaluating their effectiveness in improving critical thinking around modern media and information. The expected outputs are free and accessible online courses, educational programs and resources to spread media literacy in Ukraine.

1. WP6: University outreach online
‘Media Literacy’ courses
Olena Tkachenko
Konstantin Kyrychenko

2. Sumy Region of Ukraine
•
Media space of Sumy Region
• Printed mass-media – 298
• TV&Radio companies - 7
• Internet media -32

3. Sumy State University
(founded in 1948)
160 study programmes, 12 – offered in English
Journalism students – about 400, degree levels– Bachelor, Master;
study programmes: «Journalism», «Media communications»,
«Advertising and Public Relations».
2 – full professors, 16 - PhD, 4 – practicing journalists
>> http://journ.sumdu.edu.ua
16.000 students, 1300 international students

4. Workpackage №6 ‘University Outreach
Online “Media Literacy” courses’
Activities according to the workplan:
• Development of pilot online outreach courses
• Outreach Courses team meetings
• Piloting of outreach courses
• Delivery of Outreach Courses

5. Brief Description of the Work Package
• Organizing media informational and literacy-oriented
courses aimed at informing publicity about vital role of
journalists and the mass-media in democratic societies.
• Target audience: students who don’t study journalism and
PR; secondary school pupils and their teachers; general
public.
• Purpose: to raise the level of analytical thinking, media and
information literacy of the target audience.
• Start Date 15.06.2020
• Completion Date 15.11.2021

6. Key aims:
• to teach respondents to estimate the quality of information;
• to widen awareness of students, schoolchildren, teachers,
headmasters and other categories of possibilities of the new
information society and digital media;
• to raise the level of critical thinking of both adults and children;
• to showcase the means of expression of reality by journalists;
• to acculturate knowledge and skills in determining the aesthetic
and moral potential of newspaper, radio and TV products;

7. Key aims:
• to give an opportunity to the youth to be active and responsible
citizens now and in future, to realize the standard of living not only
in the country but as well out of it;
• to endure ideas of tolerance, overcoming racial, gender, historical,
cultural, social and other groups of stereotypes;
• to provide a convenient tool for studying media literacy in order to
implement its principles in Ukrainian society;
• to adapt the methods and mechanisms of EU and GB to the
national system of media education;

8. Key aims:
• to broad the network of academic and scientific institutions for
development of media literacy in Ukraine;
• to design and deliver media literacy courses at all levels of modern
media education with the emphasis on development of
independent critical thinking addressing provisions of the
«Declaration on the right for development»;
• passing the course is advisable to anyone who is interested in
critical perception of information in the modern world.

9. Key challenges:
• European integration processes in Ukraine, world globalization;
• European imperatives for development of the Ukrainian journalism
system;
• an increase in information fraud and manipulation technologies in
the mass media;
• informational aggression against the state and individual;
• humanitarian aggression;
• new technological opportunities in the mass media;
• digital inequality;
• dynamic development of information society;
• low level of media literacy.

10. Key Activities:
• creating “Outreach Courses Team”
• holding the first meeting of “Outreach Courses Team” – June 2019
• development of the concept and action plan for courses and
programmes;
• defining of technical specifications for design of 20+ online
courses;
• preparation of information materials and advertising;
• invitation of external participants for activities in the
workpackage;

11. Key Activities:
• editing course materials and launching programmes;
• testing online courses and media platform – November 2020;
• launch, online delivery management and analysis of feedback
from course participants and external stakeholders – May 2021;
• conducting the 2nd evaluation meeting of the “Outreach Courses
Team” – June 2021;
• production of Evaluation Report, and submission of a
Development Plan for the ‘Sustainability’ WP – October 2021.

12. Expected outputs/outcomes:
• creating 20+ courses on media literacy. Every course is
autonomic and connected with others within the framework of
education program. As a rule, each of the courses consists of a
short video, screencasts and instructions with links.
• development of TV and radio programs series (on the basis of
students' TV and radio studio);
• acquisition of media education library for students;
• the creation of a resource center and library for media education
for students, media experts and the general public.
A set of courses will be freely available online.

13. WE WELCOME COOPERATION!
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!
Sumy State University
Department of Journalism and Philology
http://journ.sumdu.edu.ua
Tel/fax: +38 (0542) 33-02-25
e-mail: info@journ.sumdu.edu.ua
Sumy State University
International Affairs Office
http://sumdu.edu.ua/int
Tel/fax: +38 (0542) 33-10-81
e-mail: info@dir.sumdu.edu.ua