Interactive multimedia modules for engineering education

The Center of Excellence for Multimedia Education and Technology (CAEME) is active in the development and production of multimedia products for engineering, math, and science education. Since its in 1990, the Center has two software books which contain more than 31 simulation software packages in electromagnetics, an interactive CD-ROM tutorial for calculus entitled The Calculus Castle, an interactive CD-ROM for physics entitled The Physics Museum, two CD-ROMs for electromagnetics, a CD-ROM for engineering education which accompanies the Center's award-winning quarterly journal, Computer Applications in Engineering Education, published by John Wiley & Sons, and presently under development is a CD-ROM on genetics. In this paper, we will discuss the development procedure used to produce these multimedia CD-ROM products. The planning, preparation, and integration of multimedia assets as well as the tradeoffs involved in completing an educational multimedia product will be discussed. Development and production procedures from the preparation of multimedia assets to the production of the CD-ROM end product will be described. Further, viable development platforms will be described including hardware and software requirements for production of hybrid multimedia CD-ROMs for use on both the Windows and Macintosh operating systems.