Transdisciplinary Approaches to Media Literacy Education

+ AI

Welcome to my page! I’m Karina Luna, a Mexican immigrant, former corporate Human Resources Manager, and currently a PhD Student at Arizona State University.

My primary research centers on media literacy education to develop inclusive, community-oriented approaches that empower people to critically engage with digital media. By integrating and adapting insights from other disciplines to media literacy, and harnessing the power of generative AI, we can strengthen our critical thinking and metacognitive skills.

My custom AI assistant is an interactive educational tool designed to support the development of critical and creative thinking in media literacy. Built on a transdisciplinary foundation, it integrates and adapts a critical and creative thinking framework often used in STEM education to provide guided conversation that helps users analyze, question, and reimagine media messages. The assistant facilitates reflective dialogue, prompts metacognitive awareness, and encourages users to consider multiple perspectives, underlying power structures, and the intent behind media texts.

Initial student testing of the AI assistant was completed in Spring 2025 with promising results. Additional testing and refinement will continue throughout the year. If you’re interested in using this Critical Media Literacy AI assistant or would like to learn more, please email me at karina.luna@asu.edu with your inquiry or request.

Whether used in classrooms or community settings, my custom AI assistant is a dynamic companion for learners seeking to become more discerning, empowered participants in today’s digital media environment.

“Using the thinking framework to analyze this headline was a valuable exercise in critical thinking. It encouraged me to break down the headline and examine its elements from multiple angles, such as substituting terms, combining ideas, and questioning the assumptions behind the story.”

- Student Test Participant

“Having only used this once has already given me a better understanding of how to be more critical on my own.”

- Student Test Participant

“The AI assistant was effective in deepening my thinking because it allowed me to look at the headline from different angles and tied them back to bias in the media.”

- Student Test Participant

Karina Luna is a 3rd-Year PhD Student of Mass Communication at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.