Media Education Lab
The Media Education Lab, founded in 2003 by Professor Renee Hobbs at the University of Rhode Island, is a global academic-affiliated community that develops media and digital literacy curriculum, professional development programs, and validated research tools for K-12 educators, graduate students, and institutions across 17+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersProvidence, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Media Education Lab does
The Media Education Lab is a private, academic-affiliated educational organization founded in 2003 by Professor Renee Hobbs at the University of Rhode Island to advance the practice of digital and media literacy education through scholarship, leadership development, and community engagement. It operates as a global community of approximately 20 core staff plus 51 affiliated fellows, graduate students, and faculty from 25+ universities, with Executive Director Yonty Friesem based at Columbia College Chicago.
The Lab's product portfolio centers on curriculum resources, professional development programs, and research tools. Core technology and content assets include the MediaEd Index (Media Literacy Implementation Index, a validated survey instrument for grades 4-12 and adult stakeholders), the ML DISCourse Model (a 9-question critical thinking framework), the I.A.M. toolkit (an AI/media literacy curriculum spanning K through graduate level), the Media Literacy Smartphone teaching cards, and an 18-unit Assignment: Media Literacy curriculum originally created in 1998. Programs include the MediaEd Institute (paid courses and certificates), the MediaEd Club (free webinar community), the Graduate Symposium (free six-month leadership program launched 2024), MediaEd Forum (conference), and MediaEd Research Jam (research events). Supporting assets include publications (e.g., Media Literacy in Action 2nd edition 2025, the Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic), podcasts, videos, and a YouTube/content library.
The business model is predominantly freemium with diversified paid streams: free curriculum downloads, free webinars, and free Graduate Symposium participation drive top-of-funnel reach; revenue is generated via paid professional development and consultancy services, book and curriculum sales, donations (Stripe), and tiered research partnerships (free collaboration, paid partnership with customized surveys and reports, maximized-impact partnership). The customer base is horizontal across K-12 educators, school and district leaders, higher education faculty, graduate students, state education agencies (Rhode Island, Massachusetts DESE), public libraries, and international bodies (UNESCO). Geographic footprint spans 17+ countries across five continents.
Media Education Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Media Education Lab
- Legal name
- Media Education Lab
- Website
- https://mediaeducationlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Media Education Lab, founded in 2003 by Professor Renee Hobbs at the University of Rhode Island, is a global academic-affiliated community that develops media and digital literacy curriculum, professional development programs, and validated research tools for K-12 educators, graduate students, and institutions across 17+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Media Education Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Media Literacy Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Professional Development & Teacher Training Media (EDAGALAI), Assessment & Test Prep Media (Video Lessons, Drills, Simulations) (EDAGALAD), Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM)
Keywords
Where Media Education Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Providence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Media Education Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Professional Development Services: The organization offers professional development programs through the MediaEd Institute, school PD workshops, coaching, and consultancy services to educators and institutions.
- Publications and Curriculum Sales: Sale of textbooks, books, and curriculum materials including 'Media Literacy in Action' 2nd edition and the Teacher's Guide.
- Donations: The organization accepts donations through Stripe to support the growth and operations of the Media Education Lab.
- Research Partnerships: Fee-based research partnership programs where the Media Education Lab adapts surveys, provides unique URLs, and produces reports of findings for schools and communities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free community programs including Graduate Symposium and webinar series |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Research partnership programs with tiered service levels |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional development workshops and consulting |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Media Education Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Media Education Lab is an online community that advances digital and media literacy education through professional development programs, curriculum resources, research instruments, and events for educators and researchers. It offers paid services (school PD, coaching, consultancy, research partnerships) and free programs (webinars, Graduate Symposium), alongside publications and curriculum toolkits like the I.A.M. toolkit and ML DISCourse Model.
Product overview
The Media Education Lab is an online educational community that offers a platform of interconnected programs and resources for advancing digital and media literacy education. The core offerings include the MediaEd Institute (professional development and certificates), MediaEd Club (free webinar community), Graduate Symposium (six-month academic mentorship program), MediaEd Forum (conferences), and MediaEd Research Jam (research events). Supporting these programs are curriculum resources such as lesson plans, the I.A.M. toolkit for AI literacy, the ML DISCourse Model (9-question analysis framework), MediaEd Podcast and Videos, and the MediaEd Index (a research survey tool for measuring media literacy implementation). The organization also provides services including School PD, Coaching/Consultancy, Talks/Lectures, and Workshops. Publications include books, journal articles, book chapters, and working papers. The lab was founded in 2003 by Professor Renee Hobbs at the University of Rhode Island.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MediaEd Institute: A professional development program offering courses and certificates in media literacy education.
- MediaEd Club
- MediaEd Forum
- MediaEd Research Jam
- Graduate Symposium
- MediaEd Index
- Youth Media Reporter
Products and services
- MediaEd Institute A professional development program providing courses and certificates in media literacy education for K-12 educators, school leaders, and college faculty.
- School PD Services Professional development services for schools and districts implementing media literacy education programs, including workshops, coaching, and program support.
- Coaching and Consultancy Expert consulting services for organizations seeking to improve media literacy education practices and program implementation.
- Workshops Interactive workshop services for professional development in media literacy education for educators and institutions.
- Talks and Lectures Speaking engagements and lecture services by Media Education Lab experts on media literacy topics for conferences, schools, and organizations.
- Graduate Programs Graduate program coordination and development services in media literacy education for higher education institutions.
- MediaEd Index A tiered research partnership program offering survey instruments to measure media literacy implementation in schools and communities, including student surveys for grades 4-12 and adult stakeholder surveys. Available in free, paid, and maximized impact partnership tiers.
- Books and Publications Published books including 'Media Literacy in Action' (2nd edition 2025) and 'Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic', along with journal articles, book chapters, and working papers.
- Lesson Plans and Curriculum Materials Free multimedia curriculum materials including lesson plans and reproducibles to help learners of all ages advance knowledge, skills, and competencies in media literacy.
- Graduate Symposium A six-month online leadership development program for graduate students and emerging researchers in media literacy education, featuring interactive workshops, mentorship, and academic development.
Quantifiable outcome
- Statewide media literacy implementation studies conducted in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Media Education Lab
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Media Education Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Media Education Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Media Literacy NowcoreCollaborative partner for research initiatives including statewide studies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Media Literacy Now provides professional support for promoting media literacy implementation stories to local and national media outlets.
- University of Rhode IslandcoreHome institution of the Media Education Lab, where founder Renee Hobbs is a professor. Joint doctoral program in education with Rhode Island College. Site of First Star URI Academy program.
- Columbia College ChicagocoreLocation of Executive Director Yonty Friesem as Associate Professor. Graduate program coordination and collaborative educational initiatives.
- RISCA (Rhode Island State Council on the Arts)majorCollaborative partner on GiveMe5 youth media initiative producing media including students with disabilities. Partnership on various media literacy programs for special populations.
- PBS NewsHour Student Reporting LabsmajorEducational outreach and research coordination on teen media creation and news literacy programs.
- Project Look SharpmajorCollaborative educational outreach and coordination of research groups for media literacy curriculum development.
- VSA Art RIminorCollaboration on media literacy curriculum development for special populations including foster youth and youth-at-risk.
- UNESCO Media and Information International Steering CommitteecoreYonty Friesem served as co-vice Chair of this UNESCO committee from 2023-2025, providing international leadership in media literacy policy.
- First Star URI AcademymajorFour-year program evaluation using quantitative and qualitative measurement to assess students' academic performance in youth media education.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Media Education Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- News Literacy Project: The most direct peer — a national education nonprofit offering news and media literacy curriculum, professional development, and the Checkology platform for K-12 classrooms. Directly comparable in mission, audience (educators/students), and product mix (curriculum + PD + assessment) to the Media Education Lab.
- Project Look Sharp: Ithaca College-based media literacy curriculum and professional development program. Explicitly listed as a collaborative partner of the Media Education Lab and offers nearly identical K-12 curriculum + PD services for educators teaching media literacy.
- Center for Media Literacy: Long-standing nonprofit providing media literacy curriculum, training, and the MediaLit Kit framework for educators. Directly comparable mission, audience (educators), and product set (curriculum + PD), with comparable small-NGO scale.
- National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE): U.S. professional association advancing media literacy education through conferences, publications, and a member network. Comparable in mission and audience; provides community and advocacy where Media Education Lab provides curriculum and PD.
- PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs: PBS's media and journalism literacy program for middle and high school students. Listed as a partner of the Media Education Lab for research on teen news creation; directly comparable in serving K-12 students with media creation and news literacy curricula.
- Media Literacy Now: Policy advocacy nonprofit pushing state-level media literacy legislation. Listed as a core partner of the Media Education Lab and provides policy/outreach support in their tiered research partnership program; complementary rather than curriculum-competitive.
Broad incumbents
- Common Sense Education: Division of Common Sense Media offering K-12 digital citizenship and media literacy curriculum, including the Digital Passport and lesson libraries. A larger, better-funded incumbent that overlaps with the Media Education Lab on media literacy instruction, but operates much broader digital wellness/well-being programs.
Emerging players
- Information Futures Lab (Brown University): Brown University research and teaching initiative on trustworthy information ecosystems, including the former First Draft program. Comparable as an academic-adjacent media/information literacy effort producing curriculum, research, and PD for educators and librarians.
- Stanford History Education Group / Civic Online Reasoning: Stanford group producing free civic online reasoning and information literacy curriculum for K-12 — directly comparable in free curriculum + PD model for educators, though anchored in history/social studies rather than media studies.
Others
- Microsoft / Minecraft Education (Digital Literacy offerings): Larger EdTech players (Microsoft, Google for Education, Nearpod, iCivics) increasingly bundle media/digital literacy modules with broader K-12 platforms. They compete for district-level curriculum budget even if they are not specialists — adjacent incumbent pressure on the Media Education Lab's school PD and curriculum sales.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Media Education Lab social profiles
Digital presenceMedia Education Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Media Education Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Media Education Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Media Education Lab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Media Education Lab
What does Media Education Lab do?
The Media Education Lab is an online community that advances digital and media literacy education through professional development programs, curriculum resources, research instruments, and events for educators and researchers. It offers paid services (school PD, coaching, consultancy, research partnerships) and free programs (webinars, Graduate Symposium), alongside publications and curriculum toolkits like the I.A.M. toolkit and ML DISCourse Model.
Is Media Education Lab a public or private company?
Media Education Lab is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Media Education Lab founded?
Media Education Lab was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Media Education Lab based?
Media Education Lab is headquartered in Providence, United States, in the North America region.
How does Media Education Lab make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Professional Development Services are the primary driver. The others are publications and Curriculum Sales, donations and research Partnerships.
Who are Media Education Lab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are News Literacy Project, Project Look Sharp, Center for Media Literacy, National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs and Media Literacy Now. Common Sense Education is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Information Futures Lab (Brown University) and Stanford History Education Group / Civic Online Reasoning. Microsoft / Minecraft Education (Digital Literacy offerings) is listed as an others.
Does Media Education Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Media Education Lab.
What industry is Media Education Lab in?
Media Education Lab's product category is Media Literacy Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFACAG, Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons), with a secondary code of EDAGALAI, Professional Development & Teacher Training Media. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.