Professor Emeritus of Journalism聽
Education
- J.D., University of Iowa
- M.A., University of Iowa
- B.S., University of Iowa
Course Specialties
- Media law, including defamation
- Invasion of privacy
- Copyright and open meetings/freedom of information
Background
Helle is a University of Illinois Distinguished Teacher/Scholar. He was named the Freedom Forum National Journalism Teacher of the Year and three times has received the campuswide award as outstanding undergraduate teacher at the University of Illinois. He has written numerous articles on communications law in academic journals, newspapers and magazines, including the Duke Law Journal, University of Illinois Law Review and Villanova Law Review. He has also chaired the Provost鈥檚 Teaching Advancement Board, received a UI Instructional Award, and chaired the University committee for the improvement of undergraduate education. Helle has chaired the Law Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Media Law Committee of the Illinois State Bar Association, and the ISBA Human Rights Section Council.
Research and Creative Endeavor
Mike Yao鈥檚 research focuses on the social and psychological impacts of interactive digital media. He conducts research and writes on a variety of topics such as online behavior, digital literacy, and computer-mediated communication. His current interest is in how users perceive and manage personal boundaries on social media. Specifically, he examines people鈥檚 attitudes, beliefs and self-protective behaviors related to online privacy from a psychosocial perspective by considering the influence of cognitive appraisal, social norm, and individual differences. A second area of Mike鈥檚 active research is the psychological impacts of digital media use. He examined the influence of various interactive media, such as video games and social media, on users鈥� online and offline social behavior. He is currently trying to extend this line of research to developing an integrated theory of digitally mediated human behavior.
