Media Education Lab

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.

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

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

• Media literacy education
• Professional development services
• Curriculum resources
• Educational research
• Digital literacy training

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Development Services: The organization offers professional development programs through the MediaEd Institute, school PD workshops, coaching, and consultancy services to educators and institutions.
2. Publications and Curriculum Sales: Sale of textbooks, books, and curriculum materials including 'Media Literacy in Action' 2nd edition and the Teacher's Guide.
3. Donations: The organization accepts donations through Stripe to support the growth and operations of the Media Education Lab.
4. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Media Literacy NowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative 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 IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome 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 ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocation of Executive Director Yonty Friesem as Associate Professor. Graduate program coordination and collaborative educational initiatives.
• RISCA (Rhode Island State Council on the Arts)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative 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 LabsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational outreach and research coordination on teen media creation and news literacy programs.
• Project Look SharpmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative educational outreach and coordination of research groups for media literacy curriculum development.
• VSA Art RIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on media literacy curriculum development for special populations including foster youth and youth-at-risk.
• UNESCO Media and Information International Steering CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYonty Friesem served as co-vice Chair of this UNESCO committee from 2023-2025, providing international leadership in media literacy policy.
• First Star URI AcademymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour-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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/mededulab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/media-education-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Media Education Lab