Illinois State’s American Democracy Project (ADP) has launched a new project that seeks to encourage students and others to critically assess and interact with important social issues.
ILSTU Views in an innovative Internet and social media tool that could revolutionize civil debate and political communication. The ILSTU Views system will employ digital media displays located around campus, at which students and members of the community will engage in civil discourse by responding to local, national, and global questions.
Each ILSTU Views kiosk will use a touch screen, computer, and USB camera, with the system linked through a central website to social media (e.g. Facebook). ILSTU Views is part of an integrated campaign at Illinois State to promote understanding of social issues, with discussion in a range of classes reflecting topics featured on the displays.
“We envision ILSTU Views as an experiment in the use of digital media to encourage individuals to engage in constructive dialog on the most important issues of the day. If successful, our interactive kiosks will foster a sense of community, sharpen participants’ abilities to critically consume information, and promote responsibility for participants’ own voice,” said Stephen Hunt, co-chair of ISU’s ADP and Professor of Communication.
The ILSTU Views team is also interested in how this project can help participants use digital media and their social networks to create change for the common good.
The first ILSTU Views kiosk is installed in the lobby of Fell Hall on ISU’s campus.
The American Democracy Project is dedicated to educating students on responsible civic and political engagement. Illinois State was selected along with 10 other campuses nationwide as model political engagement institutions by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in 2006 and received the national Program of Excellence Award for Political Engagement in 2011.
