The design and development of good multimedia courseware is a considerable undertaking and should not be entered into casually. Typically, a team effort is required as multimedia courseware design and development involves pulling together knowledge of content, technology, pedagogy, and human factors/user interface design in a harmonious and powerful way. Good content design requires critical appraisal of the state of knowledge in a domain by an instructor. Good interaction design requires creative ways of envisioning learning tasks and activities. Personnel costs are an important component of total development costs, and much of the work is, of necessity, iterative in nature. In view of this, a strong and sustained commitment by management at all levels is essential for the initiative to succeed.

Apart from management-level commitment, we emphasize that technology alone cannot replace or substitute for the discursive and experiential interactions a student normally gains by face-to-face interaction with a teacher. Hence, the creation of a broader social context of learning into which the use of multimedia courseware is embedded is of critical importance. Students also need to learn to assess and reflect upon the credibility of the information and knowledge presented via the courseware. They must be engaged in learning tasks and activities that go beyond the scope and boundaries of the multimedia courseware.