David Merrill is a highly respected instructional design theorist and instructional effectiveness consultant. After researching several theories, he put together a set of first principles of instructional design that synthesize the ideas fundamental to all those theories. These first principles are recognized and used by instructional designers all over the world. My personal belief is that every instructional designer and developer must be aware of these principles. If you are looking for an overall ID strategy framework that works for every kind of training (and I use the word training here because it implies a desired on-job performance), you will probably find David Merrill’s work very useful.
Here are the first principles:
- The demonstration principle: Learning is promoted when learners observe a demonstration
- The application principle: Learning is promoted when learners apply the new knowledge
- The activation principle: Learning is promoted when learners activate prior knowledge or experience (this is an area frequently lacking in training)
- The integration principle: Learning is promoted when learners integrate their new knowledge into their everyday world (this is also probably an area where we don’t put in a lot of effort. Especially when the course is a one-time affair)
- The task-centered principle: Learning is promoted when learners engage in a task-centered instructional strategy (this is the cornerstone of the implementation of the first principles. That is why Task analysis is so important, because with no understanding of what exactly a learner will do on the floor, you cannot even begin to design good learning)
And here is a checklist that helps you apply these principles when you are designing a learning intervention. These questions have been put together by Merrill. The complete paper on this can be viewed here.
Problem-centered (Let me do the whole task!)
1. Does the instruction involve authentic real-world problems or tasks?
2. In place of a formal objective, does the instruction show the learners the whole task they will be able to do or the whole problem they will be able to solve as a result of completing the instruction?
3. Does the instruction teach the components of the problem or task and then help the learner use these components in solving the whole problem or doing the whole task? (See Figure 2 Instructional Sequence.)
4. Does the instruction involve a progression of problems not just a single application?
Activation (Where do I start?)
1. Does the instruction direct learners to recall, relate, describe or apply prior knowledge from relevant past experience that can be used as a foundation for the new knowledge? If learners have limited prior experience, does the instruction provide relevant experience that can be used as a foundation for the new knowledge?
2. Does the instruction help learners see its relevance and to have confidence in their ability to acquire the knowledge and skill to be taught?
3. Does the instruction provide or encourage the recall of a structure that can be used to organize the new knowledge?
Demonstration (Don’t just tell me, show me!)
1. Does the instruction demonstrate (show examples of) what is to be learned rather than merely telling information about what is to be learned?
2. Are the demonstrations (examples) consistent with the content being taught?
a. Are there examples and non-examples for kinds-of (concepts)?
b. Are there demonstrations for how-to (procedures)?
c. Are there visualizations for what-happens (processes)?
3. Are some of the following learner guidance techniques employed?
a. Are learners directed to relevant information?
b. Are multiple representations explicitly compared?
c. Are learners assisted to relate the new information to the structure that was recalled or provided?
4. Are the media relevant to the content and used to enhance learning?
Application (Let me do it!)
1. Do learners have an opportunity to practice and apply their newly acquired knowledge or skill?
2. Are the application (practice) and assessment (tests) consistent with the stated or implied objectives?
3. Is the practice followed by corrective feedback and an indication of progress not just right-wrong feedback?
4. Does the application or practice enable learners to access context sensitive help or provide coaching when they are having difficulty in solving the problem or doing the task? Is coaching gradually diminished with each subsequent task until learners are performing on-their-own?
5. Does the instruction require learners to use their new knowledge or skill to solve a varied sequence of problems or complete a varied sequence of tasks?
Integration (Watch me!)
1. Does the instruction provide techniques that encourage learners to integrate (transfer) the new knowledge or skill into their everyday life?
2. Does the instruction provide an opportunity for the learner to publicly demonstrate their new knowledge or skill?
3. Does the instruction provide an opportunity for learners to reflect-on, discuss, and defend their new knowledge or skill?
4. Does the instruction provide an opportunity for learners to create, invent, or explore new and personal ways to use their new knowledge or skill?
Implementation
1. Does the instruction facilitate learner navigation through the learning task?
2. Is the degree of learner-control appropriate for the learning goals and your learners?
3. Is collaboration used effectively?
4. Is the instruction personalized?
I recently came across David Merrill's paper on developing task-centered instructional strategies, when I was researching something else entirely. I found his ideas quite fascinating, but a little difficult to absorb and apply initially. But, they have been growing on me and I have been trying more and more to apply these principles in all the work I do.
