The Multimodal Meaning-Making Process in Educational Design Team Meetings

Abstract

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the nuances of multimodal communication through which educational designers construct shared meanings and ideas. Educational design is a broad and multi-faceted area. Meaning-making in face-to-face educational design meetings is a complex process but is yet to gain attention as a topic of research. Most educational design projects involve various stakeholders, including professional designers and people who offer distinct expertise according to the needs of the project. Effective communication is imperative in such environments. We need a thorough understanding of how educational designers work together before we theorise their practice and attempt to create prescriptive tools and process models. The analysis of the meaning-making process reported in this paper shows that educational design is accomplished through intricate verbal and non-verbal interaction with various tools, resources, and representations. In particular, the results show how educational designers reconstructed pre-created visual design artefacts through drawing inscriptions over them – blending digital and non-digital artefacts. In addition, this study shows that gestures are indispensable to the meaning-making process in educational design team meetings. It is important to build a body of knowledge in this area that supports the practice and research in educational design. This paper would be of primary interest to researchers who study the way in which educational design is accomplished. Beyond this, those who work as educational designers or those who work with educational designers, might benefit from an awareness of the different interactional tools at their disposal.