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Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Restricted Thesis: Campus only access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Bo Yun Park
Second Advisor
Dr. Thad Williamson
Third Advisor
Dr. Matthew Oware
Abstract
How do faculty at colleges and universities process information? Interviews with social sciences faculty at the University of Richmond are conducted to study information consumption, evaluation, and response. Three main findings emerged: (1) faculty trust (peer-reviewed) scholarly sources as the most reliable source of information, (2) faculty mostly default to traditional media in their news consumption, and (3) faculty have a tendency to distrust information encountered on social media. Four contemporary issues are taken as case studies: climate change, COVID-19, gun control, and policing. This study serves as a snapshot of information processing among the experts of higher education, informed by literature on the "crisis of expertise" and growing scholarly interest in the relationship between news literacy and social media.
Recommended Citation
Conway, Sofi, "Examining Differences in Information Processing: A Case Study in Higher Education" (2024). Honors Theses. 1747.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1747