Courseware development: The next generation

This paper is based on the experiences of TLTP project No 40 (The BITE project). A review of existing models of accounting and management courseware development is documented and it is shown how these are effectively based on the book metaphor and have focused on the automation of teaching rather than addressing the problems of learning. Given that the most common criticism of courseware is that it remains constrained by the book metaphor ("page-turning" software), the role of metaphor in learning is examined and the implications for the design of computer based learning courseware are considered. Developments in computer (interface) technology have provided the opportunity to create effective metaphorical links between users and machines. Thus a framework of six implementable alternatives to the book metaphor (developed for the BITE project) is discussed. The paper concludes with an explanation of the choice of metaphor in the case of BITE and demonstrates its student centred learning approach.