Coding Animated Narratives as Contemporary Multimodal Authorship in Schools

This Australian Research Council (ARC) funded Discovery Project ($422,600 over three years, 2019 – 2023) is led by Professor Len Unsworth. The research team includes Professor Kathy Mills from the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE) at ACU, Professor Garry Falloon from Macquarie University and Professor Andrew Burn from the Institute of Education, University of London. Dr Paul Chandler from ACU’s Faculty of Education and Arts in Melbourne is a key additional team member.

The project seeks to develop new teaching pedagogies for students to code animated narratives, integrating previously separated capabilities of multimodal authoring and computational thinking. It prepares students for the emerging communication world where multimodal authoring, coding, and computational thinking will no longer be optional, but requisite in workplaces, education, and cultural life in a digital knowledge economy.

The study will be undertaken in primary and secondary schools in Sydney and Melbourne. Over the three years, a total of eight schools and 300 students will participate. The outcomes include a robust theory and evidence base, teaching exemplars, and curriculum progressions to inform the teaching of coding as core curricula.

Funding

Australian Research Council, Discovery Project, $422,600

Duration

2019 to 2023

Chief Investigators

Professor Len Unsworth

Professor Kathy Mills, ACU

Research Partners

Professor Garry Falloon, Macquarie University

Professor Andrew Burn, University of London

Dr Paul Chandler, ACU