At mid-twentieth century, the dominant framework for lesson design--the programmed instruction format--was derived from efforts to apply operant conditioning to human learning. Cognitive psychology soon offered an alternative view, represented by Robert Gagne's Events of Instruction, which became the dominant framework through the end of the…

The ARCS Model of Motivational Design, developed by John M. Keller of Florida State University, is a systematic model for designing motivating instruction. The ARCS Model identifies four essential strategy components for motivating instruction: attention strategies for arousing and sustaining curiosity and interest; relevance strategies that link…

This digest summarizes the issues involved in the instruction of college students with learning disabilities and offers a practical approach to teaching these students. It notes first that disability law at the college level is not as prescriptive as that for the elementary secondary level. Since the instructional climate in higher education is…

Instructional development provides a procedure and framework for systematically planning, developing, and adapting instruction based on identifiable learner needs and content requirements, a process essential in distance education. Although instructional development models and processes abound, the majority follow the same basic stages of design,…

"Looping" is an essentially simple concept: a teacher moves with his or her students to the next grade level, rather than sending them to another teacher at the end of the school year. This Digest explores the practitioners' perspectives on looping, the experience of European school systems, and research on looping. Practitioners report…