Communication-intensive Courses: A multilingual and multimodal approach to English Across the Curriculum

Abstract

<p>While traditional English Across the Curriculum (EAC) models focus on English written and speaking skills to enhance learner content outcomes, the Communication-intensive Courses (CiC) initiative at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) expands this approach by incorporating multilingual and multimodal communication skills – written, oral, visual, and digital – across disciplines. This multimodal and multilingual approach appeals to today's diverse and digital society, where the ability to engage through multiple modes and languages is crucial for students to navigate an increasingly global and complex landscape. Multimodal projects provide students opportunities to learn content and "create meaning” by combining communication formats, methods, and strategies. This develops students' awareness and application of genre conventions through the rhetoric process, further enriching the learning experience when aligned with EAC/WAC theory. The CiC initiative empowers faculty to embed these diverse literacies, transforming multimodal communication from a peripheral skill into a core university-wide competency. This presentation outlines the CiC approach and its impact on individuals, faculty, and students. By expanding beyond English instruction and applying multilingual strategies in second-language contexts, CiC has built a strong community for teachers promoting the importance of integrating communication across disciplines and helped students recognize the value of development multimodal communication competences.</p>