The application of Flash in web-based multimedia courseware development

Chen Jun, Wang Zu-yuan and Wu Yuren
Tongji University 
Shanghai, China

The most significant feature of web-based multimedia courseware, which is based on constructivist principles, is that, unlike traditional education, it allows self-guided study via the network. To achieve a more student-centred approach, the Intranet or Internet should be used to expand the range of study sites beyond the classroom, and interactivity should be highlighted in this kind of courseware. Nowadays this kind of learning model is very popular, as can be seen in the vast increase in the number of American web-based and degree-oriented courses offered in the last decade. (For example, the enrolment in the University of Maryland University College online institutions has increased 615% in the past six years.)

In this paper, we introduce the design of a web-based multimedia course system used by part-time graduate students, which was developed by the Distance Learning College of Tongji University. This multimedia courseware integrates text, audio, video and animation. At present, the online repository includes 13 courses in areas such as traffic engineering, masonry structure and engineering management. Most of the curricula are developed for part-time students who, aside from completing the necessary teaching and learning at the University, can choose their study time outside via the Internet according to their schedules.

As our development software tool in this repository we mainly use Flash which in the past was a common tool for animation presentation in class, but less so as a platform for web-based courses. With the birth of Flash Cs4, its functions have strengthened, including bone-binding and three-dimensional effects, and it has opened up a new way of thinking. There are several reasons for using Flash as the primary software in developing courses, viz.

• Its output file is in a streaming media format, which has great advantages during information delivery.
• Flash can be integrated with many other software and be expanded by many plug-ins
• Its languages and database are more powerful than previous versions after several updates.

This presentation will summarize the experience of developing online courses and discuss some new perspectives on future work in this area.