#dariahTeach supports and encourages the use of different learning objects to cater the needs of learners with different learning styles. The platform itself can support the following objects:

Videos, Audio files, Text, Images, Screencasts, Quizzes, Downloadable exercises, Code snippets, H5P content, Hyperlinks

The importance of multimodality

This variety of learning objects is termed multimodality. Multimodality describes communication practices in terms of the textual, aural, linguistic, spatial, and visual resources - or modes - used to compose messages. The collection of these modes, or elements, contributes to how multimodality affects different rhetorical situations, or opportunities for increasing an audience's reception of an idea or concept. Everything from the placement of images to the organization of the content creates meaning. This is the result of a shift from isolated text being relied on as the primary source of communication, to the image being utilized more frequently in the digital age. While text is still the dominant form in newspapers, providing other media (images and moving images) interspersed with the text provides a focused and coherent reading experience. Theories of multimodality are derived from the field of semiotics. The semiotic tradition explores the study of signs and symbols as a significant part of communications. However, unlike linguistics, semiotics also study non-linguistic sign systems.

Example of multimodality from the unit Audio Narratives in the #dariahTeach course Digital Narratives and Blended Spaces

Multimodality can help readers focus on the narrative, minimise distractions, while taking advantage of what the digital medium offers. #dariahTeach courses have adopted multimodal narratives in many cases, in the sense that images and text reinforce each other, providing pieces of the same story like a puzzle. But each piece, each modality, is used to its advantage. Apart from these two modes (image and text), #dariahTeach heavily explores the use of videos and audio in the learning process. Navigating around the platform, users can see that all courses and workshops have adopted videos in their syllabus, either in the form of an interview, screencast or powerpoint presentation with voice over. This particular medium has proven to be most interesting and engaging for the users. #dariahTeach strongly encourages creativity and will guide you through the process of enriching a course with multimodal content in Unit 4: Step-by-step Guide.