In the past few years, a wide variety of powerful, low-cost commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software packages have been released, allowing users to build complex applications using minimal programming skills. These packages have made graphical user interfaces particularly simple to develop by providing robust on-line tools and support features. This allows applications to be quickly and easily prototyped for early user involvement, better user understanding, and overall proof of concept. Developers can concentrate on the requirements and design of an application, spending time on the "look and feel" of the application instead of the "how" because the how has been simplified.
Our requirements were to build a training system management shell that provided student logon, access to course materials, management of student data, and course evaluation data reporting. This shell was part of an overall effort to produce a general-use, Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC)-compliant platform that was also to be used for language enrichment materials. This platform included a specified set of hardware and COTS software. We analyzed the given set of software tools, then developed a strategy to enhance the overall training product by providing a training system management shell for a minimal investment. It was determined that the best strategy would be the use of the built-in capabilities of the provided COTS software. The training system management shell was developed with a minimal use of traditional software development procedures, focusing only on the essentials for successful user management in the specific environment.
We found this approach to be appropriate when it is necessary to enhance existing student management and course evaluation capabilities, integrate courses from different sources, minimize time/resources spent on non-instructional aspects of a project, accommodate a short development schedule, and/or utilize resources whose skill level and/or availability won't allow a traditional approch to development.