Instructional expertise for assessing digital multimodal composing in a second language : conceptual frameworks and teachers’ perspectives

Abstract

The profound changes in forms of expression ushered in with the widespread adoption of digital communication tools have changed what it means to read, write, and communicate. As a result, second language writing researchers and teachers have been faced with a challenge: how to design and implement courses that account for practices of digital multimodal composing (DMC). Meeting this challenge requires an expansion of teachers’ expertise: from an understanding of print-based writing practices and how to teach and assess them to an understanding of digital communication practices and how to teach and assess them. In this chapter, we explore teacher expertise in the context of DMC practices on a university course for second language writers in Hong Kong. We draw on data from interviews of seven teachers on a course in English for Science at a university in Hong Kong, a course that involved students in creating digital video scientific documentaries as one element of assessment. The findings show that teachers perceive a gap in expertise for this kind of multimodal writing instruction. The findings also point to an ideological disconnect between the goals of the teachers and the goals of the course designers, which specifically highlight the negotiated nature of expertise.