Multimodality in an Online English Course

This paper illustrates how various multimodal resources are deployed in Learning Links, the online English course currently being developed at the University of Padua's Language Centre (Ackerley, 2004; Ackerley, Cloke, 2005; Ackerley, Cloke, 2006). We discuss the presence of the various semiotic resources in the course and how they contribute to meaning-making. On the one hand, their careful implementation at the design level is fundamental to issues concerning usability. On the other hand, semiotic resources can be used to reconstruct context and aid comprehension of the texts used in online exercises. We discuss how in both cases they can contribute to enhancing language learning. In the field of language learning, frequent reference is made to spoken and written texts, the focus being on speakers, readers and listeners, suggesting that fundamental information in the target language is conveyed only by means of what is spoken or written.