The 21 st century lifestyle demands that individuals engage different communication modes and intelligences in every domain from learning, employment, communication and recreation and entertainment. In order to produce individuals that are competent and able to function competitively in the 21 st century global field, tertiary education and assessments must move beyond traditional methods of essays, quizzes and exams that only test discipline related knowledge and memorization skills. Holistic, transformative assessments that can develop knowledge and skills and maximize an individual's potential is important in creating competent and marketable graduates. This study discusses the development of 21 st century skills through a short film production assessment in the Literature and the Media course taught at The National University of Malaysia. The core principles of formative assessments are used to guide the development, design and implementation of the short film production assessment. A distinctive aspect of the assessment is the inclusion of pitching and short film premiere event organization elements which were found to be very beneficial in helping students develop skills such as decision making, problem-solving and public speaking. The tasks involved in all three stages of the short film production assessment were found to be instrumental in developing fourteen 21 st skills in students. Students' reflections also provided an insight into the various skills developed through the assessment. This study reinforces the potential of filmmaking as a holistic and transformative assessment tool to equip tertiary students with the necessary skills to meet the demands of 21 st century work and life environments.
Transmedia storytelling has great potential in the field of education and research on its applications and benefits in teaching and learning is growing. This paper explores the use of transmedia storytelling as a multimodal pedagogical tool for tertiary students. This paper explicates the design and application of a transmedia storytelling project in increasing multimodal engagement for undergraduate students from various faculties. A case study of a transmedia storytelling campaign conceptualised and produced by undergraduate students from a Malaysian public university was analysed for evidence of multimodal engagement. Students' project output including campaign pitches, campaign designs and artefacts such as scripts, storyboards, posters, photos and videos submitted via digital formats were collated and analysed using a multimodal framework. Post-assessment reflections submitted by students were also analysed. The findings of the case study revealed that the conceptualisation and production of a transmedia storytelling campaign consisting of a short film, book and social media page enabled students to engage with multiple modalities and develop various skills and competencies. Analysis of campaign artefacts and student reflections found that the use of this novel pedagogy enabled students to engage with visual and spatial, linguistic, audio, gestural and technical digital modes of meaning as well as develop literary competencies and creative thinking skills through this project. This paper paves the way for further exploration of the use of transmedia storytelling as a multimodal pedagogical tool to develop various literacies, educational competencies as well as 21 st century skills amongst tertiary students.
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