Surveying the assessment landscape of digital multimodal composing in L2 contexts: A scoping review

While digital multimodal composing (DMC) has emerged as a pivotal literacy practice within second language (L2) education, its assessment remains nascent. To illuminate the landscape of this budding field regarding what, when, and how of DMC assessment and its washback on L2 learning and teaching, this scoping review systematically analyzed 38 articles published between 2010 and 2025. A standard five-step scoping review framework and a multi-method coding strategy were adopted. Findings suggested that the criteria for what to assess have evolved from internal mechanics of DMC (e.g., multimodal cohesion) to incorporating external contextualization (e.g., audience) and peripheral yet critical dimensions (e.g., ethics). A shift in when to assess has moved from product-oriented evaluations to those encompassing DMC processes. Four key dimensions characterized how DMC was assessed: a move toward integrating summative and formative assessment purposes, a transition in the assessor agency toward teacher-student collaborative models, the prevalence of rubrics as assessment tools, and the emergence of innovative assessment designs. Evidence of washback centered on the enhancement of L2 students’ multimodal repertoires, particularly multimodal literacy and metacognitive regulation. This review establishes a tripartite framework for investigating and executing effective DMC assessment. Gaps and directions were also outlined for future inquiry.