E-Learning Curve Blog

Aligning Learning Theory with Instructional Design

As you will know if you read yesterday’s post, the proliferation of learning theories over the last century or so has led to a broad range of philosophies and ideas for learning professionals to choose from when undertaking the development of a learning program, as you can see from Figure 1, which is a simplified timeline of the philosophies and disciplines that influenced learning theories.

Figure 1 Influences on Learning Theories (after Stahl, G. 2003)

The heterogeneous nature of learning theories, with sometimes subtle and occasionally significant divergences in their character usually serves only to confuse an already complex domain: even gathering an understanding of the key terms associated with the subject (see Figure 2) can be an overwhelming task for those new to the discipline of instructional design.

Figure 2 Tag Cloud of Learning Theory Terms

So how do you choose a learning theory for your instructional design?

In their 1993 article Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features, Ertmer and Newby use Dale H. Schunk’s definitive questions as well as two more of their own to enable those engaged in instructional design to distinguish between learning theories at the highest level. Schunk (1991) defines five questions to distinguish learning theories:

1. How does learning occur?
2. Which factors influence learning?
3. What is the role of memory?
4. How does transfer occur?
5. What types of learning are best explained by the theory?

Ertmer and Newby include two more questions for instructional designers:

1. What basic assumptions / principles are relevant to instructional design?
2. How should instruction be structured to facilitate learning?

Based upon these criteria, we can say that instructional design can be characterized as being effective in the contexts described as below:

Learning Program	Learning Theory / Instructional Design Approach
Introductory learning	A behaviorist/cognitivist approach works best. Instruction is predetermined, sequential and criterion-referenced
Advanced learning	A cognitivist/constructivist approach works best. Tasks require an increased level of processing (schematic organization, analogical reasoning etc)
Expertise development	A constructivist approach works best. Tasks associated with subject matter expertise demand high levels of analysis and problem-solving (i.e. situated learning, cognitive apprenticeships, and social negotiation)

Next: A Systems Approach to ISD

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References:

Ertmer, P. A., Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6 (4), 50-70.

Schunk, D. H. (1991). Learning theories: An educational perspective. New York: Macmillan.

Stahl, G. (2003). Building Collaborative Knowing: Elements Of A Social Theory Of CSCL, IN J.W. Strijbos, P.Kirschner & R. Martins (ed.), What we know about CSCL in higher education, Amsterdam: Kluwer.

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May 21 2009 02:42 pm | e-learning

3 Responses to “Aligning Learning Theory with Instructional Design”

1. Discovering Instructional Design, Part 1 | E-Learning Curve Blog on 08 Dec 2009 at 2:12 pm #

   [...] Next: Aligning Learning Theory with Instructional Design [...]

2. Wendy Conder on 10 Jul 2010 at 7:50 pm #

   This is a great blog entry. The charts effectively demonstrate the many learning theories used as foundations of the development of learning programs. These charts clarified the complex relationships between the various theories and the appropriateness of the application of the theories within the instructional design and the learning development stages.

   The seven questions highlighted the concept of information processing and the learning process. By understanding these basic concepts, instructional design can apply the appropriate learning theory with the various learning development stages, which will foster the advancement of metacognitive strategies within the instructional design.

3. KN Koch on 11 Jul 2010 at 8:11 pm #

   As a visual learner, I greatly appreciate Figure 1 that you created. I am currently enrolled in the Instructional Design graduate studies program at Walden University searching for information and blogs to follow. You now have a follower that is looking forward and excited to read your next post. My classmate, Lifelong Learner, found your site and I am grateful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and making it easier for those who are just starting on line learning.