Reusing hypermedial courseware

The problem of software reuse has often been dealt with exclusively in a code production context. However, the concept of software includes many other types of artefacts. In this work the reuse is discussed from the viewpoint of those who construct and use hypermedia as teaching aids, that is, as courseware. The case of the reuse of courseware highlights how the discussion regarding only technological aspects is limited. Indeed, in new software applications new dimensions of the problem are emerging which make the question of reuse more complex and multifaceted. As regards to the technical dimension, typical of traditional software development projects, two new dimensions take a central stage in the case of courseware, a rhetorical dimension and an aesthetic dimension of the problem. These dimensions suggest that the concept of the software product and as a consequence its design needs to be rethought. This work does not offer solutions but indicates several points that it considers require urgent debate.