Multimedia technology opens up a whole new world for the developer of computer-assisted learning material. From the outside, the technical challenges of this new area seem quite different from the conventional CAL development, but on closer inspection the techniques needed to design and develop multimedia applications are the same as those used to develop more conventional applications - problem definition, scope definition, top-down development, prototyping, structured walkthroughs, modularity and data dictionary/repository among others.
This paper outlines a hypothetical multimedia interactive role-playing CAL system (used to explore Just-in-Time inventory management). It then proceeds to describe the steps of a methodology for the design and development of the system, comparing the various aspects of the methodology (genre, character, interface, location, plotting, scripting and testing) to more conventional systems development processes.
The paper concludes that while the technical side of multimedia is new and a knowledge of new devices and interfaces is required, and new skills of animation, film and audio need to be integrated, this new wine is still contained in old bottles, for the tried and tested methods of conventional system development are readily adapted to these new media. The biblical exhortation not to put new wine into old bottles does not apply to multimedia design methodologies.
