This presentation will provide a theoretical overview of the notion of Multiliteracies, discussing developments since the idea was first proposed in the mid 1990s. The “multi” part of the term refers to two dimensions: the multimodality of meaning, particularly in digital media, and the increasing divergence of the socially distinctive forms of text. The presentation will also explore the pedagogy of Multiliteracies and the framework developed in the “Learning by Design” project. The presentation will show how these ideas are turned into practice in the research and development work around the Scholar digital writing and assessment platform, created since 2009 with the support of grants from the Institute of Educational Sciences, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.
