34 Unit 2: On Chapter Lengths and Multimodal Expectations
Collette Bliss
The chapters in Unit 2 are substantially longer, more conceptual, and more complex than the ones utilized in Unit 1. We highly recommend that you look through these chapters ahead of time and decide which portions to prioritize and which to leave out based on what you will focus on during class time. If there is a subject you don’t intend to discuss in class or use in the assignments, you may choose not to make your students read that portion of the chapter. Just be intentional and consistent.
We have it set that your students will be required to make an infographic in Unit 2. We believe this is a pretty straightforward and relatively accessible multimodal project, and works for most students across the board. That being said, you may want to give your students a bit more freedom as to what type of digital media they create. Or you may have a particular software you find useful that you want to share. You are welcome to expand the options beyond infographic as long as you:
- Require digital, visual, and multimodal projects. So they can’t write a speech or something like that. You should create strict boundaries around this.
- Remain consistent with your expectations across all student projects. The more choice you give them regarding design, the more difficult it will be to assess quality comparatively.
- Are prepared to assist students in working with whatever multimodal formats you give them permission to design. If you are not comfortable with design technology, we recommend sticking to infographics and the like.
As with any of these choices, setting standards at the beginning and being consistent with them is the priority.
