Application of Multimodal Electronic Literature in the Classroom

• In Event: A Multimodal Mindset: Examining 21st Century Educational Problems Through a Critical Digital Literacies Lens

Abstract

Purpose of the Study
Modern requirements for professionally oriented foreign language competence of university students include the development of digital, multimodal, and multilingual competencies that can be acquired, in particular, with the help of digital literature. The purpose of this study is to consider the features of the second-year undergraduate students project work (Novosibirsk State Technical University, NSTU, Russia), within its frames the students study English as a second language, improving their traditional language skills with the help of digital literature – “Inanimate Alice” series (Pullinger et al. 2005-2017).
Theoretical Framework
The NSTU project is a three-week module taught as an LSP course (Author, 2020). It contains seminars aimed at electronic literature analysis, as well as building storytelling, traditional and multiliteracy literacy skills with the help of electronic literature. This electronic literature integration model focuses on the multimodal reading comprehension as well as product creation that corresponds with Shelley Tracey’s Model for Creative Reflection (Tracey, 2007). According to the just-in-time teaching strategy (JiTT) (Novak) and flipped classroom theory (Baker) most of the vocabulary training tasks of the project are switched to the home assignments.
Research Methodology
The NSTU project started in 2017 and involved more than 400 undergraduate students. The project starts with the questionnaire aimed at revealing general knowledge on the topic of digital literature in the target group. The first class sets the conceptual notions of digital literature. The second seminar is focused on the close reading analysis of “Inanimate Alice - Ep. 3. Russia” using the “Lesson Plans and Students’ resource pack” (Laccetti). The last seminar is devoted to the multimodal Twine stories creation to practice storytelling skills.
Findings
The project survey showed that most of the learners (87%) found that multimodal digital narrative was thrilling and easy to perceive because of its integrated multimodal components that helped the author to reveal the thematic content. Only 31 % of NSTU students were already familiar with the multimodal digital narrative before the classes, but despite this, almost all of them (more than 80%) understood the essence of its concept. Over 75% showed interest in the topic and wanted to learn more about Alice’s story and read all its episodes.
Significance
The use of digital literature as an educational tool in university curricula implies an interdisciplinary approach that includes not only media education and information technologies, but also an understanding of fiction and multimodal elements. Even though there is still a significant gap between technological achievements in the field of digital communications, digital art (electronic literature) and teaching methods aimed at integrating digital components into the educational environment, the NSTU project has shown the importance of including multimodal digital literature in educational programs. Teaching foreign languages with the help of multimodal digital literature has become particularly relevant in the context of digitalization of education. The COVID 19 pandemic has made it necessary not only to use digital learning technologies and multimodal digital narratives in teaching, but also to adapt them to the specifics of academic disciplines, including practical foreign language courses.

Author

• Svetlana Kucina, Novosibirsk State Technical University