In an era defined by information saturation, the role of educational resources has shifted from providing access to enabling deep analysis. Modern students are screen first learners, yet research indicates a significant gap in student confidence regarding the detection of bias and the verification of digital origins. As students increasingly navigate information environments influenced by automated systems and generative AI, the need for verified, primary source evidence has never been more critical.
Currently, schools are tasked with meeting the ACARA “Media Consumers and Creators” curriculum connection, which requires students to critically analyse and communicate media content. However, a significant obstacle remains: resource fragmentation. When high quality text based research is siloed away from broadcast video content, the learning experience becomes disjointed, making it difficult for students to synthesize information across different modes of delivery.
The Power of Convergence: Informit Media
Informit sits at the intersection of Australia’s scholarly and broadcast record. By converging these two historically separate streams, we can move away from “surface-level” search and toward a unified inquiry model. Through the integration of Informit Explore with our TVNews and EduTV video databases, we have built a framework where research and screen education coexist – hence the creation of Explore Media.
The Foundation: Scaffolding Research
Text remains the cornerstone of academic rigor. In collaboration with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), we have focused on scaffolding the research journey through curriculum aligned topic briefs. By providing context on complex subjects, from climate policy to Indigenous land rights, we offer students a structured path to engage with over 1.5 million full text articles from authoritative sources like journals, books, and reports.
This includes critical content for research translation and informed opinion, such as our recent inclusion of the academic rigourous, but very readable publication The Conversation. By integrating these diverse formats alongside titles such as Meanjin and The Monthly, we ensure students develop the skills to build evidence based conclusions rather than relying on synthesized summaries.
The Media Laboratory
Video should not be a passive classroom experience; it should be a laboratory for analysis. Our archive of 1.3 million television news stories, dating back to 2007 and covering 100+ broadcasters, allows for “lateral reading.” Students can directly compare how different networks frame a single event, exposing the mechanics of bias and reporting.
Furthermore, the curation of 100,000 ad free documentaries and films provides a library of unmediated texts. Curated collection categories such as First Voices, Living Stories and Future Visions provide the raw material for unpacking cinematography, narrative structure, and cultural evolution, providing ready to hand contextual programing.
Media Literacy and Screen Education
Developing these capabilities can be enhanced by tools that align with the ACARA framework and the AMLA core competencies. Informit Media is designed to support these outcomes through several key approaches:
- Analysing and Interpreting: Using the tv news archive to recognize reporting bias through Media Perspectives written in alignment with the AMLA framework.
- Critical Thinking: Providing teachers with tools to contextualise clips with guiding questions, moving video from a passive experience to active analysis.
- Screen Analysis: Partnering with ATOM and ACER to produce interactive Screen Guides that offer in depth film analysis, curated clips, and discussion activities.
- Longitudinal Perspective: Utilising 18 years of archives to trace how public discourse and media representations have shifted over time.
Systemic Benefits for the School Environment
A unified research and media strategy addresses several operational pain points for educators:
- Copyright Compliance: Content is pre-cleared for educational use under the Screenrights license, removing the legal burden from schools.
- Workflow Integration: Seamless LMS integration allows for the inclusion of multimedia in all classroom models.
- Safety and Personalisation: Age appropriate access controls and features like custom clipping and temporary access links ensure the environment is both secure and flexible.
- Curatorial Control: The ability for teachers to request specific video content ensures the library evolves alongside their specific teaching requirements.
Conclusion
The transition from a traditional database to a comprehensive inquiry engine reflects the changing needs of the Australian classroom. By integrating scholarly journals, books, and reports with an expansive broadcast archive, we are not just providing information; we are equipping students to be critically minded participants in a complex media landscape.
Explore Media will be launching in Mid 2026. Register your interest here and to receive further information about this product release
This article was written by Laki Sideris, Head of Product at Informit
