Our History and Vision
On September 4, 2019, the Media Literacy Research Institute at Kyungin University was established to conduct research and education on new media literacy and digital citizenship, addressing the challenges posed by the digital transformation era.
While media literacy research has a relatively long history in Korea, the advent of data and artificial intelligence-based algorithms—spurred by advances in social media, artificial intelligence, and network technologies—has brought forth unprecedented issues in research and education. This evolution necessitates rigorous academic research into emerging topics and the development of corresponding educational methodologies.
Media literacy encompasses a range of competencies, including visual literacy, multiliteracy, multimodality literacy, network literacy, algorithmic literacy, platform literacy, social media literacy, digital literacy, and digital media literacy. It fundamentally involves a critical understanding of media messages and operations, alongside practical application. To this end, the Media Literacy Research Center at Kyungin University is dedicated to leading research, education, policy formulation, and practical application of media literacy in Korea, employing a multidisciplinary approach.
Despite growing interest in media literacy in educational institutions and society at large, the academic underpinning of media literacy education, particularly in the context of evolving digital media, remains underdeveloped. Current educational efforts often do not extend beyond traditional media forms like newspapers and broadcasting or misinterpret the mere use of digital technology as media literacy. Therefore, there is an urgent call for an enriched media literacy framework that fosters a profound understanding, utilization, and innovative design of digital media in light of the latest developments in digital networks, smart devices, and AI algorithms.
The Media Literacy Research Center is committed to enhancing the media literacy comprehension of pre-service teachers at Kyungin University through various research and educational endeavors. Additionally, by advancing the educational qualifications and capabilities of educators in schools and communities, particularly those pursuing a master's in digital media education at the Graduate School of Education, we aim to boost the educational influence on schools and communities. Embracing an interdisciplinary approach that includes the humanities, social sciences, information technology, engineering, as well as the arts and sciences, we aspire to cultivate the interdisciplinary imagination needed by pre-service teachers and to facilitate learner-centered research and educational practices informed by an understanding of the digital culture of learners.
M.Ed. in Digital Media Education
Center for Media Literacy Research is closely involved in teaching for the M.Ed. Course in Digital Media Education, which was established in May 2021. M.Ed. in Digital Media Education is designed to cultivate research and evidence-based education for critical understanding and practices in new media literacy and digital citizenship in order to meet the social and educational needs of an era in which daily communication, work, and learning environments are rapidly changing into a digital environment.
Faculty members come from various academic fields in media literacy, digital art, storytelling, media law and ethics, media statistics and big data analysis, HCI, and computational thinking. We collaborate both among the faculty members as well as with media industries and the public institutions including schools and youth & media centers, not only in order to foster integrated education and convergence research but also to develop the capacities of our graduate students in terms of critical understanding, creative use of media, and social participation in the ever-changing digital environment.
Our People
Professor Hyeon-Seon Jeong (Ph.D. in Media Education) hyeonseon@ginue.ac.kr; blog: https://hs-jeong.net
Faculty Members
Professor Keumhee Ahn (Ph.D. in Arts Education) khahn@ginue.ac.kr
Professor Kyeong Hur (Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering) khur@ginue.ac.kr
Professor Won-Sung Sohn (Ph.D. in Computer Engineering) shonws@ginue.ac.kr
Professor Chong Min Kim (Ph.D. in Data Analysis and Statistics) educpa@ginue.ac.kr
Professor Woomin Shim (Ph.D. in IT Law) legislation21@ginue.ac.kr
Professor Jiyoung Lee (Ph.D. in Literary Education) jylee@ginue.ac.kr
Professor Chang Geun Oh (MA in Media Arts, Artist/Director) ohssemy@ginue.ac.kr
Dr. Amie Kim (Ph.D. in Media Education) laventana@gmail.com
Dr. Yooshin Park (Doctor of Imaging Science and Arts) yooshin@ginue.ac.kr
Research Associates
Dr. Chung-Hwan Lee (Ph.D., formerly, Director of Incheon Community Media Center) thewaves8688@gmail.com
Ms. Mi Yoon (MEd., Seoul National University Elementary School, Doctoral candidate) yoonmi95@t.ginue.ac.kr
Mr. Kwanghee Kim (MSc., Gyeonggi Seochon Elementary School, Doctoral candidate) gwangheekim@t.ginue.ac.kr
Our Projects
Planning of spaces for media experiences and exhibition of the Chungbuk School Media Education Center (tentative name) and Developing its media literacy education programs (Chungcheongbukdo Education Research & Information Institute, 2021.6.~2021.12.)
Developing Policy to Support School Media Education Policy (Sungkonghoe University Insitute of Democracy, 2021.7.~2021. 12)
Measures to strengthen media literacy education in the 2022 revised curriculum (National Youth Policy Institute, 2021.10.13.~10.29.)
Developing Strategies of Operating a Social Living Lab to Strengthen Parental Media Education Capabilities (National Youth Policy Institute, 2021.5.~2021.10.)
Let's read, create and share! (Gyeongin National University of Education Library, 2020.5.~2020.12.)
A study on the status of youth media use and policy responses 1: Elementary school students: Reviews of policies in the U.S.A., Australia, Finland, and the U.K. (National Youth Policy Insititute, 2020.5.~2020.10.)
"In the Shoes of an Algorithm": A media education game to address issues related to recommendation algorithms (Jerry Jacques, Jérémy Grosman, Anne-Sophie Collard, Yeonju Oh, Amie Kim & Hyeon-Seon Jeong, The Journal of Education, 3(2), 37-62) http://dx.doi.org/10.25020/JoE.2020.3.1.37
Contact
email: hyeonseon@ginue.ac.kr (Director & Professor Hyeon-Seon Jeong) [blog: https://hs-jeong.net]
homepage: https://sites.google.com/ginue.ac.kr/medialiteracy
Twitter: twitter.com/jeonghs
address: (21044) #234, Humanities and Social Science Building, 62 Gyesan-ro, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, South Korea.