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Research for Practitioners: Are There Basic Principles Across All Instructional Design Models?
The intention of instructional design theoriesand models is to ground or guide us in our learning design efforts to address learnerand organizational needs. But let’s just say it out loud … there’s a lot tochoose from. Do they all have equal value? Are they just variations on a theme?
Given the plethora of available choices, M.David Merrill sought to determine whether a set of core principles was presentamongst the models. If the answer was yes, could they serve as a basis fordesigning effective and efficient learning regardless of program or practice? Herewe go!
Thequestion
Do the selected theories and models have fundamental underlyingprinciples in common?
According to this paper, a principleis a relationship that is always true under appropriate conditions regardlessof practice (a specific instructional activity) or program (an approachconsisting of a set of prescribed practices).
Themethod
Merrill selected a variety of learning theories and models foranalysis to determine a set of common (read “first”) principles that werepresent.
These theories and models included:
- Star legacy (Vanderbilt Learning TechnologyCenter)
- 4-Mat (McCarthy)
- Instructional episodes (Andre)
- Multiple approaches to understanding (Gardner)
- Collaborative problem solving (Nelson)
- Constructivist learning environments (Jonassen)
- Learning by doing (Schank)
Theresults
Five first principles emerged from Merrill’s research (2002). Heconstructed these into phases of effective instruction (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Phases of Effective Instruction
Table 1 describes these principles and is augmented with Merrill’s(2007) synthesis of the first principles and reflective questions for design.
Table 1: Augmentedfirst principles and reflective questions for design
Principle | Learning is promoted when… | Questions to ask yourself |
Problem and task centered | Learners are engaged in solving real world problems and tasks |
|
Activation | Existing knowledge is retrieved or activated as a foundation for the new knowledge or learning |
|
Demonstration | New knowledge (task) is demonstrated to the learner |
|
Application | The learner applies new knowledge |
|
Integration | New knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world or context |
|
Implications for eLearning design
The use of the first principles is meant to be prescriptive andapplicable to any learning practice or program. For your eLearning design anddevelopment, ask yourself the associated design questions and include thesephases of effective instruction. Being problem or task focused is the centralprinciple and should be the starting point for all design efforts.
Thearticle
Merrill, M. David. “First Principles of Instruction.”Educational Technology Research & Development, 50. 2002. Retrievedfrom https://csapoer.pbworks.com/f/First+Principles+of+Instruction+(Merrill,+2002).pdf
Additionalreferences
Merrill, M. D. “First Principles of Instruction: A Synthesis.” Trends and Issues in InstructionalDesign and Technology, 2.2007.
Editor’s note
This article is the last in the Research forPractitioners series. We hope that you have enjoyed these summaries and foundthem useful. The authors of the individual articles would very much appreciateyour comments, and would like to hear about your experience in applying whatyou learned from their compact presentations of some very long researchreports!
