Successful uses of IT in education open up new possibilities for students and instructors with respect to content design and delivery, and more importantly, with respect to the learning experience itself. Ideally, the goal is not simply to do old things better but to bring about a transformed and improved learning experience for students. Well-known benefits of multimedia courseware are indicated below

With respect to the learner:

• Engagement of multiple sensory modes
• Flexible access to content, allowing students to be freed from a linear learning sequence
• Support for multiple learning styles
• Support for self-paced learning
• Greater student responsibility for and control over personal learning and development
• Creation of an effective and enjoyable learning experience

With respect to the instructor/instruction designer:

• Flexibility in presentation of content
• Improvement in presentation of content (eg. through animation and visualization)
• Creating opportunities for students to obtain difficult-to-achieve learning experiences (eg. viewing open heart surgery)

With respect to the learning content:

• Tight integration of media elements providing a sharper focus for concept presentation and sense making

With respect to the learning process:

• Learning engagement through interactivity (eg. question & answer; multiple choice quizzes; exploratory learning; simulation-based learning)

With respect to access to learning:

• Anytime, anywhere learning
• Multiple, repeated access to learning content with negligible incremental cost (eg. viewing open heart surgery video clip repeatedly)
• Ability to support mass education

In light of the above, it is evident that, if done well, the use of multimedia courseware has considerable potential to improve learning processes and outcomes.