Abstract
In the ever-evolving digital age, the assessment of students’ academic literacy is still mainly done through once-off monomodal traditional writing assignments—often the academic essay. For student success, new ways of producing, assessing, and sharing their knowledge seem urgent and necessary. In this chapter, multimodal composition pedagogy is proposed as an avenue for academic literacy modules to be truly student-centered and relevant in the digital age. Furthermore, it is suggested that multimodal assessments as alternatives to the traditional essay allow more students to achieve mastery in their field of study. By incorporating multimodal pedagogy, social justice issues can be addressed. Furthermore, power is equally shared between lecturers and students, as students can contribute to their academic communities and society at large and be better prepared for their future careers. In this study, a mixed-methods approach was used. Document analysis was conducted on student assessments (n = 37). An online survey questionnaire was used to collect data (n = 25), and thematic analysis was used to identify the main emerging themes. The findings indicated that students at least want a choice and a say in how their academic literacy and knowledge are assessed. Students also see the value and relevance of optional multimodal assessments to assess their knowledge. A paradigm shift seems necessary in how higher education institutions assess students’ academic literacy in the digital age. The data can inform future pedagogical practices in academic literacy or composition modules, as multimodal teaching, learning, and assessment can create a more inclusive and student-centered learning environment.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ajayi, L. (2015). Critical multimodal literacy: How Nigerian female students critique texts and reconstruct unequal social structures. Journal of Literacy Research, 47(2), 216–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X15618478
Alegbeleye, B. J., & Jantchou, P. (2019). The paradigm shift in postgraduate thesis writing. CPQ Medicine, 7(1), 1–16.
Anderson, G., & Irvine, P. (1993). Informing critical literacy with ethnography. In C. Lankshear & P. McLaren (Eds.), Critical literacy: Politics, praxis, and the postmodern, SUNY Press, Albany.
Anstey, M., & Bull, G. (2006). Teaching and learning multiliteracies: changing times, changing literacies. International Reading Association, Newark.
Archer, A. (2014). Designing multimodal classrooms for social justice. Classroom Discourse, 5(1), 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463014.2013.859842
Baldwin, K. M. (2016). Multimodal assessment in action: What we really value in new media texts, PhD thesis. Dept. of English, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Bali, M., & Mostafa, H. (2018). Listen carefully and you will hear: Using creative multimodal assignments to promote student expression. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 15–34). Routledge.
Bateman, J., Wildfeuer, J., & Hiippala, T. (2020). Book review: A question of definitions: Foundations for multimodality: A response to Charles Forceville’s review. Visual Communication, 19(2), 317–320.
Beard, J. C. (2012). Composing on the screen: Student perceptions of traditional and multimodal composition, PhD thesis. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=english_diss. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Bickford, R.J. (2015). In relationship: Expressive writing as a decolonizing adult learning Praxis, Thesis MA. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education: University of Toronto.
Carstens, A. (2012). Using literacy narratives to scaffold academic literacy in the Bachelor of Education: A pedagogical framework. Journal for Language Teaching, 46(2), 9–25.
Chan, C., Chia, A., & Choo, S. (2017). Understanding multiliteracies and assessing multimodal texts in the English curriculum. The English Teacher, 46(2), 73–87. https://journals.melta.org.my/index.php/tet/article/view/458. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Chandler, R. (2017). To what extent are teachers well prepared to teach multimodal authoring? Cogent Education, 4(1), 1–19, 1266820. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1266820
Cloonan, A. (2011). Creating multimodal metalanguage with teachers. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 10(4), 23–40. http://education.waikato.ac.nz/research/files/etpc/files/2011v10n4art2.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Cohen L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=iaQ5DwAAQBAJ. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Considine, D., Horton, J., & Moorman, G. (2009). Teaching and reading the millennial generation through media literacy. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(6), 471–481.
Cresswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage.
Dawson, C. (2009). Introduction to research methods: A practical guide for anyone undertaking a research project. How to Books.
Fjørtoft, H. (2020). Multimodal digital classroom assessments. Computers & Education, 15(2), 1–14, Article 103892.
Freire, P., & Shor, I. (1987). A pedagogy for liberation: Dialogues on transforming education. MacMillan Education Ltd.
Gilakjani, A. P., Ismail, H. N., & Ahmadi, S. M. (2011). The effect of multimodal learning models on language teaching and learning. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(10), 1321–1327.
Godhe, A. L., & Magnusson, P. (2017). Multimodality in language education: Exploring the boundaries of digital texts. In W. Chen et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Computers in Education. Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education, New Zealand.
Grigoryan, A. (2018). The potential and pitfalls of multimodality in English composition pedagogy. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 199–214). Routledge.
Gulecoglu, A. (2018). The place of multimodal curriculum for instructors, departments, and institutions. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 111–124). Routledge.
Hairston, M. (1982). The winds of change: Thomas Kuhn and the revolution in the teaching of writing. College Composition and Communication, 33(1), 76–88.
Halbritter, B. (2013). Mics. Audio-visual Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. Parlor Press.
Hyland, K. (2020). The communication of expertise: Changes in academic writing. In Lang, P. B. (Ed.), Scholarly pathways: Linguistic Insights (pp. 33–56). ISBN 9783034338608.
Jacobs, G. M., & Farrell, T. (2001). Paradigm shift: Understanding and implementing change in second language education. TESL-EJ, 5(1). http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej17/toc.html. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Jewitt, C., Bezemer, J., & O’Halloran, K. (2016). Introducing multimodality. Routledge.
Jiang, K. (2017). Is academic writing becoming more informal? English for Specific Purposes, 45, 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2016.09.001
Kress, G. (2003). Literacy in the new media age. Routledge.
Kress, G. (2010). Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge.
Kern, R. (2000). Literacy and language teaching. Oxford University Press.
Laine, C., & Schultz, C. (1985). Composition theory and practice: The paradigm shift. The Volta Review, 87(5), 9–20.
Leu, D.J., Kinzer, C., Coiro, J. & Cammack, D. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies emerging from the internet and other information and communication technologies. http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/lit_index.asp?HREF=/newliteracies/leu. Accessed March 21, 2013.
Lim, F. V., Towndrow, P. A., & Min Tan, J. (2021). Unpacking the teachers’ multimodal pedagogies in the primary English language classroom in Singapore. RELC Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211011783
Lombardi, D. (2018). Braving multimodality in the college composition classroom: An experiment to get the process started. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 15–34). Routledge.
Lopez-Gil, K., & Molina-Natera, V. (2018). Multimodal composition in a first-year writing course in a Colombian university. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 215–226). Routledge.
Lynch, B. K. (2003). Language assessment and programme evaluation. Edinburgh University Press.
Macnaught, L. (2018). Multimodal metalanguage. In J. H. de Silva & S. Feez (Eds.), Multimodality across classrooms: Learning about and through different modalities (pp. 144–160). Routledge.
Mckenna, S. (2004). A critical investigation into discourses that construct academic literacy at the Durban institute of technology, Thesis – DPhil. Rhodes University.
McWilliams, R. & Allan, Q. (2014). Embedding academic literacy skills: towards a best practice model. Journal of university teaching and learning practice, 11(3). http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol11/iss3/8. Accessed February 22, 2015.
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
Monea, B., & Pybus, J. (2018). Mode-switching: Multimodal pedagogy in the multilingual composition classroom. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 181–198). Routledge.
New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social features. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60–92.
Nouri, J. (2018). Students’ multimodal literacy and design of learning during self-studies in higher education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-018-9360-5
Ntelioglou, B. Y., Fannin, J., Montenara, M., & Cummins, J. (2014). A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: A collaborative inquiry project in an inner-city elementary school. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00533
O’Brien, E., Chlochasaigh, K. N., & Ó’Ceallaigh, T. J. (2019). The role of assessment literacy in encouraging students to choose alternative assessment modes. In International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy (ICEP), University of Limerick, Ireland, 12–13 December 2019. http://icep.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ICEP19_paper_27.pdf
Papageorgiou, V., & Lameras, P. (2017). In 14th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age (CELDA 2017).
Pink, S., Horst, H., Postill, J., Hjorth, L., Lewis, T., & Tacchi, J. (2016). Digital ethnography: principles and practice. SAGE.
Ross, J., Curwood, J. S., & Bell, A. (2020). A multimodal assessment framework for higher education. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(4), 290–306.
Ryu, J., & Boggs, G. L. (2016). Teachers’ perceptions about teaching multimodal composition: The case study of Korean English teachers at secondary schools. English Language Teaching, 9(6), 52–60. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n6p52
Sackstein, S. (2015). Hacking assessment: 10 ways to go gradeless in a traditional grades school (Kindle ed.). Times 10 Publications.
Selfe, C.L. (2009). The movement of air, the breath of meaning: Aurality and multimodal composing. College Composition and Communication, 60(4), 616–663.
Shin, D-S., Cimasko, T., & Yi, Y. (2020). Development of metalanguage for multimodal composing: A case study of an L2 writer’s design of multimedia texts. Journal of Second Language Writing, 47, Article 100714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100714
Shor, I. (1992). Empowering education: Critical teaching for social change. University of Chicago Press.
Statistics South Africa. (2017). General household survey. http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0318/P03182017.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Summers, S., Szabo, J., & Ingram, E. L. (2018). Interdisciplinary faculty training experiences in multimodal composition. In J. C. Lee & S. Khadka (Eds.), Designing and implementing multimodal curricula and programs (pp. 139–154). Routledge.
Tan, L., Zammit, K., D’warte, J., & Gearside, A. (2020). Assessing multimodal literacies in practice: A critical review of its implementations in educational settings. Language and Education, 34(2), 97–114.
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2003). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioural research. Sage.
Unsworth, L. (2014). Multiliteracies and metalanguage: Describing image/text relations as a resource for negotiating multimodal texts. In D. Leu, J. Corio, M. Knobel, & C. Lankshear (Eds.), Handbook of research on new literacies (pp. 377–405). Erlbaum.
Van de Poel, K. & Van Dyk, T.J. (2015). Discipline-specific academic literacy and academic integration. In R. Wilkinson & M. L. Walsh (Eds.), Integrating content and language in higher education: From theory to practice (pp. 161–180). Peter Lang.
Weeks, R. (2018). Multimodal assessment: What, why and how? https://educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au/teaching@sydney/multimodal-assessment-what-why-and-how/. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Weideman, A. (2003). Academic literacy: Prepare to learn. Van Schaik, Pretoria.
Weninger, C. (2021). Multimodality in critical language textbook analysis. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 34(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797083
Wyatt-Smith, C., & Kimber, K. (2009). Working multimodally: Challenges for assessment. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 8(3), 70–90. http://education.waikato.ac.nz/research/files/etpc/files/2009v8n3art5.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2022.
Yeh, H.-C. (2018). Exploring the perceived benefits of the process of multimodal video making in developing multiliteracies. Language Learning & Technology, 22(2), 28–37.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Olivier, L. (2022). Alternative Multimodal Composition Assessments in Academic Literacy Modules. In: Olivier, J., Oojorah, A., Udhin, W. (eds) Multimodal Learning Environments in Southern Africa. Digital Education and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97656-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97656-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-97655-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-97656-9
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)