A Preliminary Investigation into Multimodal Assessments: Exploring Effective Approaches to Transferable Skills Enhancement in Higher Education

The long-established notion that language is not the only available means of communication has led to a growing interest in diverse communication modalities, which can be extended to higher education assessment. Traditionally, language courses in higher education rely on written essays and presentations for assessment. However, the emergence of social media and Artificial Intelligence have introduced challenges to these conventional assessment methods, particularly regarding skill transferability. To enhance higher education assessments, incorporating multimodal components that merge various semiotic modes has been proposed. While scholars have addressed the integration of multimodality into course design, few studies have explored its practical implementation in assessment and course design. This article examines the effects of multimodal assessments on 86 students enrolled in an English communication course and the transferability of assessment skills to other courses and domains. As an initial exploration of a two-year large-scale project, by utilizing data from content analysis of qualitative student interviews along with quantitative survey results, the study assesses the implications for English communication assessment and skill transferability based on students’ self-perception. Initial findings reveal that students who engaged in the course and multimodal assessment effectively translated a variety of soft skills into other university courses and other domains. This study also showcased that collaborative multimodal projects are conducive to soft skills development and transfer.