Instructional Design and Learning Theory
A nice introduction to the fundamentals of Instructional Design.

A paper by Brenda Mergel, a Graduate Student in Educational Communications and Technology at University of Saskatchewan. Mergel leads off with "... to students of instructional design the introduction and subsequent "sorting out" of the various learning theories and associated instructional design strategies can be somewhat confusing." She then asks the questions:

  • Why does it seem so difficult to differentiate between three basic theories of learning?
  • Why do the names of theorists appear connected to more than one theory?
  • Why do the terms and strategies of each theory overlap?
and follows with "the need for answers to these questions sparked my investigation into the available literature on learning theories and their implications for instructional design."
Keywords: instructional design behaviorism constructivism cognitivism atomic theory
http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/mergel/brenda.htm
Focus Area: Teaching and Learning
Scope: Global
Resource Type: Publications
Entry Date: February 22, 2001