The multimodal strategy used for this resource
Two key factors drove the multimodal strategy; the ability to collaborate in an international context, in a familiar and easy to use platform, and the ability to easily embed and share multiple types of multimedia which would be easy to access and find.
An initial analysis of the available platforms that were considered was undertaken and categorised under UTAUT2 headings (Venkatesh et al, 2012). Full analysis can be found on the comparison spreadsheet, embedded in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Technology analysis spreadsheet
Delivery platform
After analysing the available technologies, the group felt that WordPress provided the most affordances suitable for use as the main delivery platform. WordPress started as a blogging platform and has evolved to allow the creation of almost any type of website. WordPress was chosen over other tools as the site for our content for the benefits it offers and because it is easy to set up, there is a low barrier to entry, and it is extremely flexible allowing multiple authors to create and embed a wide variety of content. These factors are aligned to UTAUT2 (Venkatesh et al., 2012), where Ease of use of a platform (Effort Expectancy) and multiple author collaboration (Performance Expectancy) directly determine technology adoption.
Another important factor is the fact that there is a wealth of WordPress help available through blogs, forums and tutorials. These factors can be described collectively as factors of Social Influence, (Venkatesh et al., 2012).
A further factor is cost. Some level of cost benefit analysis is usually conducted before acquiring a new technology and if the cost is too high the product is unlikely to move into full-scale adoption. This links to the Price Value category of UTAUT2 (Venkatesh et al., 2012). As WordPress is free to use and built on an open-source platform it met our need to be able to collaborate effectively without a large personal cost.
Multi-modal content
This resource includes original multimodal elements and is licensed under Creative Commons in line with the brief. Our initial strategy was to focus on working collaboratively online to write content in a shared Microsoft Word document. Once the content existed in a written format, we drew on our collective experience of studying digital education to review the content to determine which parts could be delivered more effectively using other technological tools. We also carefully considered how these tools could be embedded or displayed within WordPress. in order to maintain accessibility in line with the new accessibility legislation (The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018). After careful review and evaluation of the licensing options under Creative Commons, we decided that the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivative 4.0 International license met our needs.
Technology Adoption in HE 