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Help, It’s Not an Essay!

A guide to multimodal assignments using text, visuals and spoken words

  • Textbook
Help, It’s Not an Essay! cover

Help, It’s Not an Essay!

A guide to multimodal assignments using text, visuals and spoken words

  • Textbook
Quantity
Available on 15 Oct 2026
$33.29

Available for purchase via Bloomsbury etextbooks on publication date

This title is available for inspection copy requests

Description

Higher education assessments are changing: they are becoming more diverse, more real and more digital. Essays and exams are increasingly losing favour as universities and colleges understand that students need to be better prepared for the visually-rich, multimodal and digital landscape we now inhabit.

This book responds to the changing landscape and gives help and advice to support students with more authentic, real-world assessment formats. Ranging from more traditional assessments such as academic posters and presentations (which have themselves become more visual as improved technologies facilitate this development) to newer communication methods such as blogs, infographics, videos and podcasts, this book equips students with the knowledge and the skills to produce assignments with confidence.

The first part of the book outlines the core principles of effective academic communication which lie at the heart of all types of assessment. Part B shows students how to nail the assignment brief, by thinking about the needs of the audience, and getting key design principles right. It includes guidance on how to work effectively in groups and how to engage with AI ethically. Part C consists of short, accessible chapters which give targeted guidance on each form of assignment. Whether it's a video, a visual essay, a report (or anything else) this book helps students to understand what's expected – and shows them how to deliver brilliant assignments.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part A: Principles of academic communication
A1 Developing a position
A2 Making claims
A3 Using evidence
A4 Attempting to persuade
A5 Putting this together

Part B: Key concepts for multimodal communications
B1 Purpose and outcomes
B2 Audience
B3 Fundamentals of design and accessibility
B4 Using AI and other ethical considerations
B5 Groupwork assessments

Part C: Individual assessment formats
C1 Blog posts
C2 Digital stories
C3 Discussions and debates
C4 Films/videos and vlogs
C5 Infographics
C6 Leaflets
C7 Literature review
C8 Magazine articles
C9 Podcasts
C10 Portfolios
C11 Posters - academic
C12 Posters - public facing
C13 Presentations
C14 Reports
C15 Visual essays
C16 Websites or apps
C17 Wikis
C18 Anything else

References
Key terms
Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 15 Oct 2026
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Pages 192
ISBN 9781350529786
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Series Bloomsbury Study Skills
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Lee Fallin

Lee Fallin is a Lecturer in Education Studies and…

Author

Jacqui Bartram

Jacqui Bartram is a Library and Academic Skills Sp…

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