Best practices in the design, development and use of courseware in engineering education

This paper discusses best practices in the design, development and use of engineering education courseware by examining the courseware recognized through the Premier Award for Excellence in Engineering Education Courseware. Led by NEEDS - A Digital Library for Engineering Education and supported by industry, the courseware recognized through the Premier Award since 1997 covers most engineering disciplines; ranges from case studies to collections of Java applets; addresses both formal and informal learning; and targets learners at multiple levels. The Premier Award evaluation criteria are transformed into best practices in design and development of engineering courseware. Through illustrative examples drawn from the submissions recognized by the Premier Award, courseware developers will be able to improve their designs leading to potential increases in learning effectiveness.