Use of Multi-Media Courseware to Teach Real-World Decision Making Skills

We combined the case study approach and information technologies to create a multi-media courseware that brought real-world decision making from engineering industry into the classrooms. This paper describes the process of developing the CD-ROM courseware, details of classroom administration, and results of measuring the effectiveness of using the courseware in classes. This courseware was selected as the Premier Courseware of 1998 by NEEDS and John Wiley and Sons through a rigorous application and review process. Evaluation results of the use of the courseware in classrooms show that it enhanced classroom experience of students and helped them understand how decisions were made in the real-world. It also enhanced their higher-level cognitive skills. We expect that widespread use of multi-media courseware build on similar principles could lead to significant changes in the way students are educated.