Multimodality
When we communicate with one another, we use various modes such as words, visuals and sound to be effective and persuasive in our communication. Much of what we view on Youtube, Instagram, and/or TikTok is multimodal–even professional communications are becoming increasingly multimodal. Cynthia Selfe¹ notes that the various communication modes we primarily use are “visual, audio, gestural, spatial, and/or linguistic means of creating meaning” (Selfe 195). This model is based on the five senses – we use sight, taste, smell, hearing, touch and gestures to communicate meaning to each other.
With multimodality, we move from “writers” to “producers” or “creators” and from “readers” to “users” or “co-creators” of the content we produce. (And it’s important to note that the “producers” or “users” of a given text are not always human.) Multimodality affords us the opportunity to create dynamic, interactive, and powerful arguments. Our multimodal products can take the form of a website, a video, an interactive presentation, a mobile app, a collage, a video game, a podcast, and many, many others.
The resources below offer various ways to think about and successfully create exciting, innovative multimodal projects.
ConnectED skills related to Multimodality: Communicative fluency; Ethical reasoning; Global and cultural responsiveness; Information literacy; Problem solving
¹Cynthia L. Selfe, Multimodal Composition: Resources for Teachers (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2007), 195.
General Information & Guidelines for Best Practices
- Creative Commons: Finding and Using Free Multimodal Content – Dr. Amber Pearson & Dr. Frank Cha, VCU
- Research Guide: Copyright Free Images – University of Washington Libraries
- Multimodal Project Guide: How to Plan, Create and Edit a Creative Project – VCU Libraries
- Making Multimedia Projects Cheat Sheet – Oscar Keyes, The Workshop at VCU’s Cabell Library
- Web Accessibility – The ALTlab, VCU
Remediation
- Text-to-Text Remediation – The Writing Commons
- Text-to-Visual Remediation – The Writing Commons
Resources for Specific Modes
- The Beauty of Data Visualization – (video) David McCandless
- Get Started with Digital Storytelling – University of Houston
- The Sound of Life: What is a Soundscape? – Marinna Guzy
- What Defines a Meme? – James Gleick
Multimodal Examples For additional multimodal examples, see the multimodal projects section on our Student Work page.
- For Every One – Reynolds
- A Message from the Future II: The Years of Repair – Klein
- W.E.B. Du Bois’ Staggering Data Visualizations Are As Powerful Today As They Were in 1900 – Forrest
For resources to assist with attribution and copyright for multimodal projects, see the Academic Integrity page.