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<aside> <img src="/icons/book-closed_gray.svg" alt="/icons/book-closed_gray.svg" width="40px" /> The multimodal community of inquiry: A framework for evaluating online learning environments in higher education

Chapter 3

This chapter introduces Lumsden’s (2022) Multimodal Community of Inquiry – a mixed method approach for examining the use of non-linguistic semiotic resources in online learning environments and students’ perceptions of its effectiveness. The approach is a novel association of two frameworks. The first is the Community of Inquiry framework, which was first developed by Garrison et al. (2001) and is widely used to measure students’ perceptions of three types of presence (teaching, social, and cognitive) that promote critical inquiry skills in effective online teaching and learning. The second is multimodal social semiotics, which includes a model for studying software as a ‘semiotic technology’ (Djonov & van Leeuwen, 2018), and invites us to examine learning management systems (LMSs) in terms of their built-in semiotic resources (e.g., selections of font types, layout templates, and options for inserting or recording sound or video) and rules about co-deploying such resources in online learning environments. To illustrate the value of this approach for extending our currently limited knowledge of multimodality in online teaching and learning, we present key findings from the analysis of the online learning environments of two Master of Applied Linguistics/TESOL teacher education courses – one from Korea created with the LMS Google Classroom and one from Australia created with Moodle. These findings reveal that the multimodal design of each environment reflects the affordances of its LMS platform and the instructor’s beliefs and values regarding TESOL pedagogy and university teaching.

The multimodal community of inquiry_Lumsden_Djonov_Slatyer.pdf

Designing Learning with Digital TechnologiesPerspectives from Multimodality in Education </aside>

<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/0e1920e8-43ea-4589-a1fd-25c69fd7cf72/416ea8da-1051-45e7-84f4-98f43a9028fd/Copy_of_LAWS6252_Topic_1.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/0e1920e8-43ea-4589-a1fd-25c69fd7cf72/416ea8da-1051-45e7-84f4-98f43a9028fd/Copy_of_LAWS6252_Topic_1.png" width="40px" /> Legal Education Research, an Educational Designer's Perspective

This paper discusses the integration of educational designers' interdisciplinary knowledge into the Scholarship of Legal Education (SoLE). While educational designers possess expertise in pedagogy and methodology, they often lack deep knowledge in the law. Conversely, law educators, primarily experts in their subject matter, tend to be unfamiliar with broader pedagogical and methodological discussions. Bridging this gap, This paper identifies three challenges in legal education: embedding practice skills into the curriculum, employing artificial intelligence, and executing work-integrated learning policies. A unified research approach is proposed, blending the varied methodologies of SoLE with established educational research practices. By integrating educational designers into legal education research, there is potential for enhanced interdisciplinary pedagogy and research methodology, especially as legal education research increasingly intersects with humanities and social sciences.

Legal Ed. Research an Ed. Designers Perspective

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/c0c608b7-6749-441f-a198-b9bae093e210/graduation-cap.svg" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/c0c608b7-6749-441f-a198-b9bae093e210/graduation-cap.svg" width="40px" /> A Multimodal Semiotic Approach to the Community of Inquiry Framework

This research thesis reported on the findings of a three-year, three-stage mixed-methods study examining instructors' use of non-linguistic semiotic resources to establish a Community of Inquiry (CoI) in their online subjects. Seven online TESOL instructors and their students at three institutions in two countries were studied and their OLEs were analysed through the lens of multimodality.

The results indicate a shift in CoI presences occurred after the delivery of a professional development intervention, though the non-linguistic semiotic resources that instructors talk about and those that students perceive as contributing to the CoI may differ. Furthermore, the aggregated results of the CoI survey may inform reflective practice undertaken by instructors. The overall findings of the study suggest that the choices instructors make regarding semiotic resource use reflect their beliefs and values in terms of TESOL pedagogy, modelling and the role of English in a global context.

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/9de75413-2888-4662-bcfb-0064cedca8b5/hand-held-tablet-writing.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/9de75413-2888-4662-bcfb-0064cedca8b5/hand-held-tablet-writing.png" width="40px" /> **The Relationship Between Teaching Presence and Online Instructor Satisfaction**

This research thesis examines the relationship between teaching presence and instructor satisfaction in synchronous, online videoconference instruction in a graduate teacher training program at a mid-sized private university in Seoul, South Korea. Using a mixed methods approach, interviews, the Online Instructor Satisfaction Measure, and observation of videoconference lessons were triangulated to explore the impact of instructor satisfaction on teacher actions in online videoconference contexts. Results showed a positive relationship between teaching presence and instructor satisfaction, as well as two related issues that have implications for future research; the contextual aspects of online teaching and learning, as well as an examination of existing indicators of teaching presence for synchronous, videoconference lessons.

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/5167fd3f-22b2-476f-ade9-6094c63e089b/group-meeting-call.svg" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/5167fd3f-22b2-476f-ade9-6094c63e089b/group-meeting-call.svg" width="40px" /> Evaluating CALL Materials: How About an iPhone?

This paper details the development of a piece of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) material in the form of an application (app) for Apple Inc.’s iPhone platform (including the iPod Touch and iPad). The CALL material described is a Korean vocabulary learning program suitable for beginning learners who are new to Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL). The paper discusses the rationale and goals behind choosing the form and technology used in the project, and the underlying pedagogy, most of which is from English as a Second Language learning contexts but is applicable here. In addition, the development process is outlined, and an evaluation of a prototype app is offered. By the end of April 2010, 50 million iPhones (Kincaid, 2010) and over 200 million iPods Touch had been sold (Kingsley-Hughs, 2008) worldwide by Apple Inc. since their release in 2007. The key features behind the choice of Apple’s platform are the devices’ utilisation of touchscreen interface and Internet connectivity and low barrier to entry in terms of usability.

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