The real value of a multimedia educational environment

When introduced into classrooms, motion pictures, radio, TV, and lately multimedia, promised to revolutionize education. However, after more than 75 years of experiments, the basic question remains unanswered: what is the educational value of the new media? We argue that the real benefit of using educational tools, such as multimedia, is generated by the reorganization of the class rather than by the tool itself. This paper presents a way of defining and measuring the educational value of educational tools and methods. It discusses the way multimedia were used in courses at Arizona State University (AS), the Del E. Webb School of Construction, the way benefits were measured, and the changes that were made to maximize the quality of education. It also reports on current efforts to further monitor and refine the quality of college level construction education.