The Web: Interactive and Multimedia Education

The World Wide Web is becoming increasingly important in the provision of education, as recognised by several high profile UK government reports. Improved tools for developing Web-based teaching and learning materials, together with focused training by individuals, institutions and national programmes, have led to a greater confidence in network technologies by educators at many levels. Higher education institutions have been leading players in the UK in the development of innovative ideas for exploiting the educational potential of the Web. This paper presents examples of several techniques in evidence in UK higher education which demonstrate some of the key innovations in teaching and learning, focusing on the themes of multimedia and interactivity. Some of the pedagogic and technology issues associated with these techniques are identified, and the way in which integration into the curriculum can be achieved is explored. This integration takes many aspects of the learning process into account, from the delivery of information and references, through demonstration, example and practice, to learning by reflection and assessment. In particular, the way in which the Web encourages the trend away from directed teaching and towards self-paced and distance learning is investigated. The Web is shown as supporting the learning process in many more ways than its traditional information delivery role. Three main areas explored are: (1) Virtual environments, where real-life scenarios are reconstructed to bridge the gap between theory and practice; (2) interactive simulations, which allow the investigation of changing experimental conditions without the cost and effort of laboratory equipment; and (3) assessment, which can provide valuable feedback to teachers and learners alike, exploiting both interactive and multimedia elements to give added value to online educational materials.  1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.