AbstractThe limited quantity and quality of existing courseware restricts the use of computers in today's educational environment. Educators are often reluctant to become involved with the development of new courseware because of the high costs associated with courseware development. This article describes the evolution of courseware development and compares the advantages and disadvantages of existing development environments. The authors propose the use of an alternative environment: products which include customised courseware generators. This generator would allow the instructor to modify and expand the courseware to meet local needs. The development and subsequent use of a customised courseware generator is able to increase significantly the cost‐effectiveness of courseware development. In order to illustrate the potential of the proposed development environment, the authors describe a customised generator which was developed as part of a courseware unit used to teach the human hormone regulatory syste