HellO

I'm Adam Maksl.

Journalism/MEDIA Prof EdTech Pro News Literacy Researcher

More About Me
About

Let me introduce myself.

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I am an educator and leader focused on the nexus of academic innovation, technology, and student success. Collaboration and bringing people together are at the core of my approach, as I believe that collective effort drives the most impactful outcomes.

 I believe technology can help people stay informed about and connected to the wider world.  But as educators, we must design experiences that focus on our goals and outcomes, rather than adopt technology for technology's sake. 

I believe in the power of storytelling because stories help us learn, connect, and see ourselves in emerging narratives. Storytelling is a powerful tool that can inspire change and progress by fostering a deeper understanding and connection among people. Through compelling narratives, we can envision new possibilities and motivate action.

I believe that in a democracy, education, and journalism both can play essential roles in social advancement and progress.

CV

A collaborative, future-focused, applied academic.

I've always been interested in organizational change and digital transformation, whether in media or education. In teaching, research, and service, I've placed myself at the intersection of media, education, and technology, exploring how institutions can adapt to meet contemporary needs of society.

Academic Appointments

Senior Faculty Fellow for GenAI Learning Innovation & Co-Director, GenAI Learning Lab

July 2024 - Present

Faculty Fellow & Principal/Manager for eLearning Innovation

July 2019 - June 2024

Indiana University (Learning Technologies division of University Information Technology Services)

I bring a faculty perspective to the division of IU's IT organization that supports faculty in their use of educational technology. I help IU faculty in designing, developing, and promoting more innovative ways to teach, especially using digital tools. I'm charged with helping connect faculty with peer institutions, educational technology vendors/solutions, and others who support innovative teaching and learning. 

More specifically, I play a major part in Indiana University's response to generative AI, serving as a thought leader across campuses. I create resources about the opportunities and challenges that generative AI presents for higher education. My responsibilities include developing professional development resources for faculty and students on the effective and ethical use of GenAI, conducting workshops and presentations to faculty groups across the university, and leading the GenAI Learning Lab. This lab focuses on facilitating innovative teaching strategies and assisting faculty in integrating GenAI into the curriculum to enhance learning outcomes and prepare students for the future of work.

In the past in these roles, I have led university-wide efforts around microcredentials and digital badging. I am the co-founder of the Digital Gardener Initiative, a university-wide digital literacy program. During the 2023-24 academic year, I built and managed a team of multimedia producers focused on building engaging graphics and video experiences for online courses.

Professor of Journalism and Media (with Tenure)

July 2023 - Present

Associate Professor of Journalism and Media (with Tenure)

July 2018 - June 2023

Journalism & Media Program Coordinator

July 2016 - June 2019

Director of Student Media

August 2012 - June 2019

Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media

August 2012 - June 2018

Indiana University Southeast (School of Arts & Letters)

I teach courses focused on digital journalism, including multimedia storytelling, audio storytelling, social media strategies, and online journalism. I focus on journalism innovation, including interactive graphics, immersive video, and other tech/tools. I also regularly teach communications law. I've helped develop a multi-campus online degree program in digital media and storytelling, and I teach courses for that program as well.

At IU, I've developed and taught 11 courses, including seven fully online. Three of my online courses have been Quality Matters certified.

My research focuses on news and media literacy. My work has been published in top-rated journals including Communication Research: Journalism; Communication Theory; Communication & the Public; Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly; Journalism & Mass Communication Educator; the Journal of Media Literacy Education; Electronic News; and Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking. I am the co-author of two books: one focused on news and media literacy, "American Journalism and Fake News: Examining the Facts," and a reference book that outlines the history of attacks on the press in the United States, "Attacks on the American press: A documentary and reference guide."

I served as coordinator (the functional equivalent of department chair) for the Journalism & Media Program from July 2016 to June 2019, leading faculty colleagues, including working on scheduling, program assessment, program development, marketing/development, and other program administrative issues. In that role, I oversaw increases in the number of students majoring in our area as well as the number of students enrolled in our courses, all while the campus experienced overall enrollment decline.

I was also director of student media from August 2012 to June 2019, where I directed business operations and advised students on editorial decisions for Horizon Media, including a newspaper/news website and internet radio station. I strengthened our financial health, increasing revenue substantially and building strong reserves, all while being able to extend our technology resources and travel/professional development opportunities for students. I coached students on editorial decisions, and students won more than 290 state, regional, and national awards under my leadership, including twice winning the Pacemaker Award, considered the Pulitzer Prize of college journalism.


Graduate Instructor

August 2009 - July 2012

University of Missouri (School of Journalism)

I taught as instructor-of-record for four different courses, including a large-lecture Principles of American Journalism class and several sections of online graduate-level courses for high school journalism teachers working on their Master's in Journalism Education.

Instructor of Journalism

July 2007 - July 2009

Assistant Director of Journalism Workshops

July 2007 - July 2009

Ball State University (Department of Journalism)

I taught journalistic writing and editing courses.

I also helped develop and coordinate journalism workshops and other large-scale journalism education events for high school students and teachers. Part of these duties included general public relations and marketing work for the Department of Journalism.

Education

Ph.D. in Journalism

2012

University of Missouri (School of Journalism)

Dissertation: On parents, peers, administrators, and advisers: Developing a system to understand self-censorship of controversial topics in the high school press.

Master of Arts in Journalism

2007

Ball State University (Department of Journalism)

Thesis: The road to scholastic press freedom: A survey of Midwestern high school newspaper advisers to determine the effects adviser backgrounds and school demographics have on student press freedom.

Bachelor of Science in Education

2005

Indiana University-Bloomington (School of Education)

Focus: Journalism Education (major) and English Education (minor) Licensed to teach secondary journalism and English in Indiana

Research, Presentations, & Awards

Selected Research

Books

Journal Articles

  • Maksl, A., Boedeker, P., Craft, S., Tully, M., Vraga, E., & Ashley, S. (2024). Developing and validating a 15-item true/false measure of news literacy knowledge. Communication Research. DOI: 10.1177/00936502241284406.
  • Ashley, S., Craft, S., Maksl, A., Tully, M., Vraga, E. (2022). Can news literacy help reduce belief in COVID misinformation? Mass Communication and Society. DOI: 10.1080/15205436.2022.2137040. 
  • Tully, M., Maksl, A., Ashley, S., Vraga, E., & Craft, S. (2021). Defining and conceptualizing news literacy. Journalism. DOI:10.1177/14648849211005888.
  • Vraga, E., Tully, M., Maksl, A., Craft, S., & Ashley, S. (2020). Theorizing news literacy behaviors. Communication Theory. DOI:10.1093/ct/qtaa005.
  • Craft, S., Ashley, S., & Maksl, A. (2017). News media literacy and conspiracy theory endorsement. Communication and the Public, 2(4), 388-401, DOI:10.1177/2057047317725539.
  • Ashley, S., Maksl, A., & Craft, S. (2017). News media literacy and political engagement: What’s the connection? Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(1), 79 -98.  
  • Maksl, A., Ashley, S., Craft, S., & Miller, D. (2017). The usefulness of a news media literacy measure in evaluating a news literacy curriculum. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 72(2), 228-241, DOI: 10.1177/1077695816651970.
  • Craft, S., Ashley, S., & Maksl, A. (2016). Elements of news literacy: A focus group study of how teenagers define news and why they consume it. Electronic News, 10(3), 143-160.DOI: 10.1177/1931243116656716.
  • Maksl, A., Ashley, S., & Craft, S. (2015). Measuring news media literacy. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 6(3), 29-45.

Looking for more research? Download my full CV.

Selected Recent Presentations

  • April 2024 — "Fast Feedback: Using Generative AI Assistance in Formative Assessment Design," AI in Action Lightning Round, IU IT Statewide Conference
  •  February 2024 — ““Navigating the AI Frontier: Strategies for Academic Leaders,” Academic Chairpersons Conference (with Mark Urtel, Lea Bishop, Kristi Haik, Chris Jochum, Kyungbin Kwon, & Jason Palamara)
  • October 2023 — “Best of both worlds: Using generative AI to create quality assessments and reduce workload,” IU Online Conference (with Emilie Schiess, Chongning Sun, & Owen Horton)
  • October 2023 — “Skillifying at scale: Helping faculty connect course outcomes to workforce needs,” UPCEA/AACRAO Convergence Conference (with Morgan Halpert)
  • October 2023 — “Redefining readiness: Digital literacy and AI's role in tomorrow's professions,” IU-wide webinar (with Shaun Grannis, Jeanette Heidewald, Kyungbin Kwon, & Jason Palamara)
  • October 2023 — “Generative AI Is More than a Tool- It’s a Digital Collaborator,” EDUCAUSE Annual Conference (with Justin Hodgson)

  • Looking for more presentations?
    Download my full CV.

    Selected Awards & Honors

    Regional/National Awards and Recognition

    Campus- and University-Level Awards & Honors

    Looking for more awards, recognition, & certifications? Download my full CV.

    Contact

    Let's share ideas.

    Where to find me

    Knobview Hall 200K
    4201 Grant Line Road
    New Albany, Indiana 47150

    Email Me At

    amaksl@iu.edu

    Call Me At

    Phone: (812) 941-2892