Department of Media Communication and Advertisement,
Faculty of Arts,
Constantine The Philosopher University In Nitra,
Slovakia

Address:

Tr. A. Hlinku 1, Nitra, 949 01, Slovakia

Coordinator of the project:

doc. Mgr. Györgyi Janková, PhD.

www.kmkr.ff.ukf.sk

IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD:

01/10/2024–31/03/2026

www.visegradfund.org

The goal of the project is to create an intervention program by developing a study program and a concept for an elective course in media and communication studies at V4 partner institutions.. Target groups are chosen based on current trends identifying them as the most at risk. Generation Z representatives, focusing on media and communication studies, have strategic potential to incorporate these programs into their professional outputs, reaching a wide V4 audience. Establishing a program to enhance media and digital literacy requires current data on the digital literacy levels of Generation Z and seniors in these countries, considering their attitudes, experiences, and perceptions of media influence, which are currently unavailable. All four post-socialist countries face issues like increased trust in hoaxes, fake news, and fear of digital currency in Slovakia, significantly affecting the target groups‘ experiences, behavior, and attitudes. Therefore, we will research possible correlations between attitudes and creativity as a protective factor against media pitfalls (e.g., hoaxes, filter bubbles, echo chambers, scam emails) and prejudices. Participating institutions will share best practices, both methodological and educational, as well as research equipment.

The platform will facilitate in-person meetings (colloquiums) and online or hybrid events. Outputs will include electronic materials published in five languages (English, Slovak, Czech, Polish, and Hungarian). The project’s focus is innovative, particularly in its approach of combining two target groups, Generation Z and seniors, on several levels: It assesses the current state of digital literacy of these groups by not only mapping their use of digital media during their leisure time and surveying their experiences with various media pitfalls but also by delving deeper into the issue. This includes researching attitudes, prejudices, and creativity as a prophylactic factor against falling prey to media traps (e.g., hoaxes, filter bubbles, echo chambers, scam emails, etc.). These data will serve as a basic diagnostic for further activities in our project. A concept for an intervention program will be developed, relying on the experiences and expertise of specialists who address the issue from various perspectives and share the experiences of all V4 countries. The target group of Generation Z, specifically focusing on students of media and communication studies, has long-term strategic potential to incorporate these intervention programs into their professional outputs, thereby reaching a wide audience in the V4 countries.

At the Department of Mass Media Communication at the Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, we focus on projects such as Innovative Education and the Development of Consumer, Information, and Media (CIM) Literacy among Young Adults in the European Area (KEGA 024 – 2024), Mass Media Communications in Digital and Print Form and Their Comprehension by Various Target Groups (VEGA 2022 – 2024), and Digital Influencers – Educational Dimensions of Developing Critical Thinking and Engagement of Generation Z (KEGA 2021 – 2023). Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra has experience in preparing a concept of media education for primary and secondary schools for the State Pedagogical Institute. The material is intended for teachers of media education and as cross-curricular themes in other subjects (Slovak language, foreign language, ethical education, physics, etc.).

Tomas Bata University in Zlín has experience working with Generation Z (enhancing media literacy and wellbeing) and seniors (lectures and workshops focused on increasing media and consumer literacy). WSB University runs Social Innovation HUB, Centre for Quality and Innovation, Technology Transfer Center and Center of Modern Methods and Technologies. The University of Pécs participated in projects like EFOP-3.6.1-16-2016-00004 Comprehensive Development for Implementing Smart Specialization Strategies at the University of Pécs, focusing on the attitudes of the Hungarian population towards media, with results from national online surveys (n=1038) and focus group discussions.

Partner No. 1

Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně, Fakulta multimediálnych komunikací, Ústav marketingové komunikace • Tomas Bata University in Zlin

Address: nám. T. G. Masaryka 5555, Zlín, 760 01, Czechia

Statutory representative: prof. Mgr. Milan Adámek, Ph.D. – rector Organization ID No.: IČ 70883521, DIČ CZ70883521
www.utb.cz

Justification of involvement: The project partner, the Department of Marketing Communications, is one of the leaders in marketing communications study program with a long tradition in the Czech Republic. The study programme in marketing communications is a practice-oriented programme that prepares marketers worldwide for an accredited master’s study programme in English. The courses are taught by academics with both industry and research experience. The cooperation was based on international conferences and student and academic staff exchanges (mainly Erasmus+and Ceepus programmes). A long-standing collaboration with the project partner has been on research and project activities, reflected in scholarly publications.

Partner No. 2

Pécsi Tudományegyetem , Bölcsészet- és Társadalomtudományi Kar, Kommunikáció- és Médiatudományi Tanszék •
University of Pécs

Address: Vasvári Pál utca. 4., Pécs, H-7622, Hungary
www.pte.hu

Justification of involvement: The project partner, the Department of Communication and Media, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Pécs in Hungary, has participated in projects such as EFOP-3.6.1-16-2016-00004 Comprehensive Development for Implementing Smart Specialization Strategies at the University of Pécs. This project focused on the attitudes of the Hungarian population towards media, utilizing results from national online surveys and focus group discussions. The study program in marketing communications is a practice-oriented program that prepares media and communication workers. The cooperation has been based on international conferences and exchanges of students and academic staff, primarily through Erasmus+ and Ceepus programs. The long-standing collaboration with the project partner is reflected in research and project activities, as well as scholarly publications.

Partner No. 3

Akademia WSB, Katedra Pedagogiki •
WSB University

Address: Cieplaka 1c street, Dąbrowa Górnicza, 41-300 , Poland

Statutory representative: Prof. Zdzisława Dacko-Pikiewicz – Rector of WSB University Organization ID No.: E10109230
Registered VAT payer: yes Phone: +48 (32) 295 93 40
E-mail: rektorat@wsb.edu.pl
https://en.wsb.edu.pl/

Justification of involvement: WSB runs Social Innovation HUB, Centre for Quality and Innovation, Technology Transfer Center and Center of Modern Methods and Technologies. WSB received following accreditations: CEEMAN (International Quality Accreditation), GPM (Green Project Management, BSIS IMPACT (Business School Impact System), EUA (European University Association), KAUT (Polish Accreditation Commission of Universities of Technology) on ICT degrees programmes. WSB was also awarded with HR Excellence and implementend GEP. The cooperation has been based on international conferences and exchanges of students and academic staff, primarily through Erasmus+ and Ceepus programs. The long-standing collaboration with the project partner is reflected in research and project activities, as well as scholarly publications.