Novice programmers, who have yet to form effective mental models of the domain, often experience high cognitive load, low confidence, and high anxiety, negatively affecting learning and retention rates. These cognitive and affective limitations pose an instructional challenge. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a whole-task…

This article provides the rationales for three recommendations for the future of Instructional Technology: (1) instructional technology as a field seems to have reached a tipping point, where the basic approach to instructional design has stabilized to where further research at this level has waned, suggesting that it is time for instructional…

Brigham Young University-Hawaii (BYU-Hawaii) has students from over 70 countries attending classes. One of BYU-Hawaii's current aims is to increase the effectiveness of course instruction and help students take more responsibility for their own learning as they look to increase distance education offerings to students in different countries.…

From a review of instructional design theories, research, and practice, the author has derived his "First Principles of Instruction". In this article, he suggests a rubric for using these principles to evaluate existing instruction. The article presents a Course Evaluation form and accompanying demonstration and application rubrics that enable the…

This article suggests that peer interaction is most effective when orchestrated around a progression of problems. Problem-centered learning is enhanced by carefully structured peer interactions. Problem-centered instruction is a form of direct instruction wherein instructional components are taught in the context of problems. An effective…

Summarizes first principles of instruction and presents a revised approach to instructional development that has been found to be most effective in overcoming the recent criticism of traditional ISD (instructional systems design), while at the same time implementing these first principles of instruction. (Author/LRW)

Based on a review of instructional design models, previous papers identified first principles of instruction. These principles prescribe a cycle of instruction consisting of activation, demonstration, application, and integration. These instructional phases are best implemented in the context of real-world tasks. A Pebble-in-the-Pond approach to…

This article contrasts instructional science with instructional technology, defines empirical research as it relates to instruction, and provides an example of this science-technology continuum. (Author)

Defines primary knowledge components for entities, actions, and processes, and for instructional strategy. Proposes that a different combination of strategy and knowledge components is required for different kinds of instructional goals, and if they are not present there will be a decrease in the student's acquisition of the desired knowledge and…

A cybernetic subcomponent is proposed which can gather the necessary information and make the operating decisions to allow one system of instruction (M.D. Merrill's) to respond to and provide for differential needs within the individual learner. (Merrill's system divides the universe of instructional objectives into a taxonomy of seven categories,…

In 1969, the author proposed that a teaching team should consist of a horizontally differentiated staff with team members trained in four distinct skill areas: 1) instructional design, 2) instructional interaction, 3) interpersonal design, and 4) interpersonal interaction. The present paper proposes, in addition, a vertically differentiated staff…

Instructional development should be based on theory rather than raw empiricism. The dimensions and possible form of an instructional theory are outlined in three premises. It was presumed that a limited set of behavior categories exist and that all behaviors can be calssed into one or more of these categories. It was also presumed that for each…

Robert Gagne...accelerated the development of instructional theory by specifying the conditions for both the establishment and the observation of eight kinds of learned behavior...Within this article two additional categories are added to Gagne's original eight...and the behavior and psychological conditions under which the behavior can be…

Discusses the integration of multiple learning goals, or objectives, into instructional design procedures. Models of instructional design are described with emphasis on human performance factors; categories of integrative goals are explained, including denoting, manifesting, and discovering; and implications for the transfer of training are…

Discusses a research program at Utah State University that is developing an advanced instructional design theory to help produce an integrated computer-based system. Highlights include a theoretical base that organizes knowledge about instructional design, a methodology for representing domain knowledge; miniexpert systems; instructional…