This mind map outlines the content, instructional approaches, and tools needed to support the course objectives of a multimodal composition course designed to meet 21st century multimedia literacy standards for early college students. In diagramming the objectives and approaches, it became clear to me that a key challenge in this instruction is file and information management, as computer literacy is critical to all of these compositional forms. Yet, computer literacy levels are falling behind year by year as students’ K-12 technology engagements become more limited to tightly controlled ecosystems lacking hierarchical file management, particularly Chromebooks and mobile phones.
At the same time, to meet professional and academic citation standards, plan for and create complex compositions, and fulfill the standards of modern digital literacy more generally, students must be able to develop and manipulate file management systems. Thus, this mind map visualizes the fundamental course objectives for Multimodal Rhetoric and Composition on the left side of the map while unfolding the unit-based, objectives-supporting student learning objectives to the right. This visualization illustrates how students’ ability to acquire, organize, and manage files across media formats is integral scaffolding for this course. Note also how we can visualize that content objectives inform instructional methods.
You can download a high resolution copy of the mind map below.
Laura McPherson 
