From Text-Centric to Multimodal: Implementing Multiliteracies and Learning-Oriented Assessment in a First-Year EFL Curriculum

Abstract

The growing prominence of multimodal communication in academic and professional settings necessitates a shift in English as a foreign language pedagogy from text-centric instruction to approaches that cultivate students’ ability to integrate verbal and visual modes effectively. This article presents a classroom-based project conducted within a first-year English course at a medical university in Taiwan. The project scaffolded students’ multimodal communicative competence through PowerPoint presentations by integrating multiliteracies instruction with learning-oriented assessment practices. Students participated in a six-week instructional cycle that combined model analysis, structured peer review, self-reflection and two assessed presentations. Central to the innovation was the use of a multimodal performance rubric that guided formative feedback and summative evaluation across five key dimensions: oral delivery; visual design; coherence; interactivity; and content. Data sources, including self-evaluation, peer-evaluation and teacher-evaluations, end-of-course surveys, and students’ written reflections, revealed increased awareness of multimodal resources, improved rhetorical decision-making and growth in metacognitive regulation. While students demonstrated notable progress in integrating semiotic modes and responding to feedback, persistent challenges were observed in the consistency of peer feedback and the interactivity component of presentation delivery. Based on these insights, the study proposes pedagogical implications that emphasize feedback literacy, rehearsal of interactive strategies and longitudinal tracking of multimodal development.