About
Michael A. Spikes, Ph.D. is a lecturer and director of Teach for Chicago Journalism in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, IMC at Northwestern University. He is a practitioner and scholar in the field of media literacy and news media literacy education.
He has trained educators globally, and played key roles in implementing a first-in-the nation requirement for media literacy education in Illinois high schools.
Michael A. Spikes teaches courses in broadcast journalism in the Medill School at Northwestern University, including Intro to Podcasting and Fundamentals of Video Journalism.
Before joining Northwestern, Michael worked for the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University where he developed curriculum and training in news literacy as the director of its Digital Resource Center and News Literacy & Civic Learning Project. Michael has also held positions as a Media Studies and Production teacher in both public and public charter schools in Washington DC; as a member of the Newseum’s educational advisory team; and as a media producer and editor for numerous organizations including NPR, the PBS NewsHour, and the Kellogg School of Management.
His expertise has been cited in publications including Reuters, NPR, Nature, and the Los Angeles Times.
Professional Experience
Board Member | 2025 -
Illinois Press Foundation
Academic Advisory Board Member | 2025 -
Digital Inquiry Group
Lecturer & Program Director, Teach for Chicago Journalism | 2022 -
Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications; Northwestern University; Evanston, IL
Adjunct Professor, Communications | 2021 - 2022
Columbia College Chicago; Chicago, IL
Learning Sciences & Cognitive Science Fellow | 2018 - 2022
Northwestern University; Evanston, IL
Director, Illinois Civic News Literacy Educator Training & Digital Resources | 2014 - 2018
Center for News Literacy; Stony Brook University, Chicago, IL (remote)
Audio Editor & Producer, Kellogg Insight Podcast | 2014 - 2021
Kellogg School of Management; Northwestern University Evanston, IL
Senior Educational Specialist | 2012 - 2014
Center for News Literacy; Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Teacher Advisory Team Member | 2010 - 2012
Newseum, Washington, D.C.
Teacher, Mass Media Studies & Production | 2006 - 2012
District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, D.C.
Director, Radio & TV Division | 2005 - 2008
Friendship News Network; Friendship Public Charter Schools, Washington, D.C.
Project Coordinator / Producer | 2005 - 2007
WAMU's Youth Voices; WAMU 88.5FM - American University Radio, Washington D.C.
AWARDS & Honors
Excellence in Research Mentorship Finalist | 2025
Office of Undergraduate Research,
Northwestern University
NU Undergraduate Research Assistant Award | 2025
Office of Undergraduate Research,
Northwestern University
Searle Teaching Fellow | 2024 - 2025 AY
Searle Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning,
Northwestern University
Friend of Scholastic Media Education Award | 2023
Illinois Journalism Education Association
Teach for Chicago Journalism, Medill | 2022 - Present
Approx. $750,000 to date, as part of Medill's Local News Initiative
Robert R. McCormick Foundation
Research Fellow, Decision Education Research
Collaborative | 2023-2024
Alliance for Decision Education
Illinoisan of the Year | 2022
Illinois News Broadcasters Association
Graduate Research Grant | 2022 - 2023
$5,000 - Northwestern University
Initiative for Media Education Inquiry and Action (IMEDIA)
Public Impact Award | 2022 - 2023
$10,000 - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
Advanced Cognitive Science Fellowship | 2020 - 2021
Northwestern University
News Literacy Training for Ohio Librarians : A Partnership with University of Akron & Cleveland State University | 2020
$5,000 - Library Services and Technology Grant;
State Library of Ohio
News Literacy and Civic Education in Illinois : A Center for News Literacy Collaboration | 2015 - 2019
$400,000 - Robert R. McCormick Foundation
News Literacy @ Your Library: Partnership with American Library Association | 2017 - 2018
$50,000 - Democracy Fund
FEATURED PROJECTS
My work spans both research and practice in media literacy education. View a few of my projects are described below.
Media Literacy in Libraries
Two training-focused projects developing media literacy knowledge and skills for librarians, both public and academic with the American Library Association. The first, Media Literacy @ Your Library, prototypes a training model for media literacy education and projects for adlut patrons at 5 sites around the US. The project was supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Democracy Fund and the Rita Allen Foundation.
The second project , Media Literacy Education in Libraries for Adult Audiences continues development of training materials for libraries working with adult patrons on media literacy skills, culminating in a webinar series and a practitioners guide between 2020 and 2021.
Center for News Literacy Online Training
Development and design of digital training products for the Center for News Literacy.
- GetNewsSmart - Online course for the general public to learn news literacy skills.
- Making Sense of the News - A video-based news literacy course jointly developed with the University of Hong Kong and Stony Brook University, hosted by Coursera.
- Digital Resource Center - providing improved access to teaching materials for educators using the Stony Brook model for teaching news literacy.
Interactive NML Short Course
I designed and adapted this course from the full ungraduate News Literacy course developed in the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University, and taught in classrooms around the globe for use as a primer for teachers and librarians.
This short course provides students with a primer on some of the key skills, tools and techniques that make up the Stony Brook model of news media literacy.
Education
Ph.D. in Learning Sciences | 2023
Northwestern University; Evanston, IL
M.S. in Educational Technological Systems Management; Educational Technology | 2014
Stony Brook University; Stony Brook, NY
B.A. in Mass Media; Television & Digital Media | 2011
University of the District of Columbia; Washington, D.C.
A.A.S. in Recording Arts and Technology | 2005
Cuyahoga Community College; Cleveland, OH