Multimedia-Based Instruction in Engineering Education: Strategy

Abstract

Effective education depends on effective communication. In the past, it was necessary to structure engineering education around the available communication media, specifically the lecture and the textbook. Technology has added new communication media, most noticeably the computer. Further advances in communication technologies offer opportunities for changing engineering education in a way that will vastly improve our consumer and product—the entry-level engineer. Interactive multimedia (IMM) is a communication technology that can potentially replace the large-class lecture and textbook as the communication medium central to engineering education. The potential advantages and possible disadvantages of IMM are discussed. A multiparadigm strategy for packaging IMM is presented. Such a comprehensive strategy will be necessary if IMM is to reach its potential as a central element of engineering education.