Computer-based training: an institutional approach

Conventional approaches to the provision of learning and training opportunities often leave much to be desired in terms of their suitability, their relevance and their cost-effectiveness. Of course, in the current financial climate, educational establishments are also being called upon to achieve much higher productivity with minimal increase in resources. In order to meet the increasing demands that are being placed upon conventional training and learning resources, many organizations are actively searching for new approaches to instruction. Because of the attractive facilities that they offer, computer-assisted learning (cal) and computer-based training (cbt) have now become important techniques for both knowledge dissemination and skill acquisition. Five important attributes of these approaches to pedagogy have contributed to their success: efficiency, effectiveness, adaptability, automated monitoring and the high degree of student motivation that can be achieved. For the reasons outlined above, many organizations are now setting up “institutional” cal or cbt centres. Their function is to provide courseware development services on a cross-organizational basis. This paper discusses some architectural blueprints for the creation of a successful courseware development centre. In this paper, we cover such topics as courseware engineering principles, authoring tools, media selection, workstation design, production strategies and the marketing of courseware products.