Multimedia in construction education: new dimensions

The use of multimedia for educational purposes has generated considerable d iscussion in recent years. This paper discusses a number of different ways in which multimedia can be used in the construction industry. Learning from other industries, particularly manufacturing is essential as multimedia ha s been explored and exploited by such industries. The first half of the pap er demonstrates how multimedia can be used to aid learning and training in the construction sector and in disseminating research results to an industr ial audience. The second part demonstrates how multimedia can be used as an interface to complex integrated database systems using virtual reality (VR ) technologies. These can be used in a laboratory environment to train indu strialists and students to use integrated systems, a topic of great importa nce and traditionally known to be difficult to understand. The work present ed here builds upon research undertaken at the University of Salford in the UK through the use of case studies and findings generated from workshops a ttended by industrial collaborators who are interested in improving the way s in which information is delivered in the construction sector through mult imedia capabilities. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.