A literature search that included project reports, overviews, software reviews, and other sources from a variety of settings and a focus group meeting of vocational educators were conducted to determine developments in computer-based education, their applications to vocational education, and barriers to the use of computer-based technology in the field. Following a section discussing the scope of the review and the issues identified in educational uses of computers (teacher's role, motivation, and gender issues), this report presents the outcomes of the study in four additional sections. Section 2 describes the strengths and weaknesses of existing computer-assisted instruction as a point of comparison for the emerging classes of tools. This discussion is followed by an overview of new optical disc technologies for delivering multimedia instruction. Section 3 classifies emerging computer technologies, using examples from the literature, and summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of each. Also included is a subsection that reviews the vocational education literature on the same technologies. Section 4 discusses the results of the focus group interviews to assess the feasibility of adopting the new technologies. Section 5 summarizes the findings and includes recommendations for how vocational educators can prepare for the emergence of these educational tools and participate in their development. A table provides an evaluation of emerging computer-based tools. Appendices include a tabular summary of selected literature, its focus group questionnaire and 242 references. (KC)