Instructional Design Theory – Overview
by Jon I. Young, PhD – College of Education, University of North Texas
The process of learning any skill or knowledge is based on a sequential process. A learner must acquire underlying skills or information, called prerequisites, before advancing to more difficult levels. If an individual starts the learning process without the necessary prerequisites, the expected learning, usually done through memorization, will not be sustained.
The process of Instructional Design is to identify the end result and working backward, first identifying the prerequisites or underlying skills and information essential to acquiring the end product. Once these prerequisites are identified, the instructor can decide on the best teaching strategy to enable the student to acquire the desired level of proficiency.
There are numerous examples of this in nature. Life moves from simple to complex. Before one can learn to swim well, one must learn to breathe while in water, move arms and legs in a particular manner. Once these prerequisites skills are acquired, the individual can put them together and swim.
One learns to write by copying letters until the process is natural. Letters are put together into words and words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs until a story is written. In the same way one learns to add and subtract before learning division.
A simple analogy can illustrate this process. Suppose one is changing the oil in a car. The first task is to warm the oil by running the engine. Next the old oil is drained, first by obtaining a container, removing the oil plug and allowing the oil to drain into the container. Then the new oil can be opened, the cap removed from the motor reservoir and the new oil is poured into the motor.
Some of these steps can be done in a different order without compromising the end task, but some must be done sequentially. For instance, a container must be obtained and placed in the proper position before draining the old oil to avoid making a mess. However, the new oil can be opened early in the process without creating a problem.
In much the same way a recipe for a specific food dish can have multiple steps. Some can be done at any time, but others must be done in sequence in order for the desired results to occur.
Before a person can learn complicated knowledge or intricate skills, all of the prerequisite information and foundation skills must be in place for the learning to be most effective. In fact, once each subsequent skill or knowledge is mastered, the subsequent level is guaranteed.
Additional information on Instructional Design:
https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/top-instructional-design-models-explained
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructional_design
https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/what-is-instructional-design
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