Moroccan University Researcher Advocates for Visual Literacy in Higher Education

A recent study by Chourouq Nasri, a researcher at Universite Mohammed Premier, in Morocco, emphasizes the importance of incorporating visual literacy into higher education programs. The study argues that traditional, text-oriented approaches often fail to prepare students for the increasingly visual nature of modern life, including film, photography, advertising, and social media. Nasri advocates for a more inclusive approach that combines textual and visual components, fostering critical thinking and civic awareness in students.

Key Takeaways:

• The study highlights the need for Moroccan universities to adapt to the visual-centric nature of modern life, where film, photography, advertising, and social media play significant roles.
• Nasri argues that current university programs often neglect visual literacy, neglecting students' critical thinking and civic awareness.
• The researcher advocates for a blend of textual and visual components in higher education programs to enhance students' critical, imaginative, and historical sensibilities.
• Visual literacy and civic literacy are deeply interconnected and should be utilized to teach about social and spatial injustices, among other topics.
• The study suggests that by incorporating visual literacy, universities can empower students to challenge the status quo and act for change.
• The research emphasizes the importance of teaching students about the intersections of visual literacy and civic literacy to promote critical thinking and civic engagement.
• Nasri's study emphasizes the need for a more inclusive approach to education, one that prepares students for the complex, image-saturated world they will enter after graduation.

Statistics:

• 2024: The year in which Chourouq Nasri published the study "Teach Dissent, not Consensus: the Digital Image as a Practice of Freedom in the Post-Pandemic University" in the journal Ikhtilaf.
• 2(1): The issue number of Ikhtilaf in which the study was published.
• CNRST-IMIST: The publisher of Ikhtilaf, a Moroccan publisher that specializes in scientific and cultural publications.
• Universite Mohammed Premier: The institution at which Chourouq Nasri conducted the research, located in Oujda, Morocco.

Sources:

• Nasri, Chourouq. (2024). Teach Dissent, not Consensus: the Digital Image as a Practice of Freedom in the Post-Pandemic University. Ikhtilaf, 2(1).
• Chourouq Nasri. Universite Mohammed Premier, Oujda.
• Universite Mohammed Premier Researcher Reports on Findings in Education (Teach Dissent, not Consensus: the Digital Image as a Practice of Freedom in the Post-Pandemic University). TB & Outbreaks Week. November 4, 2025; p 285.