Robert Gagnés Instructional Design Approach :: Psychology Psychological Papers

Robert Gagnà ©'s Instructional Design Approach Introduction When Robert Gagnà © initially published his influential book, The Conditions of Learning (Gagnà ©, 1965), his instructional design theories were heavily rooted in the behaviorist psychology paradigm. However, in later editions of The Conditions of Learning (Gagnà ©, 1970, 1977, 1985), Gagnà ©'s theories evolved to incorporate cognitivist psychology theories, specifically the information-processing model of cognition. According to Gagnà ©, "This model posits a number of internal processes that are subject to the influence of a variety of external events. The arrangement of external events to activate and support the internal processes of learning constitutes what is called instruction" (Gagnà ©, 1974). In the preface to the second edition of The Conditions of Learning, Gagnà © commented further on this shift to the information-processing model of cognition and it’s influence on his approach to designing instruction. He stated, "I consider this form of learning theory to represent a major advance in the scientific study of human learning" (Gagnà ©, 1977). In 1989, Michael J. Striebel noted, "Instructional design theories such as Gagnà ©'s theory, take the cognitivist paradigm one logical step further by claiming that an instruction plan can generate both appropriate environmental stimuli and instructional interactions, and thereby bring about a change in cognitive structures of the learner (Striebel, 1989). This paper will define and explore the three major aspects of Gagnà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s approach to instructional design, which include: nine events of instruction, conditions of learning and learning outcomes. How Gagnà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s theory correlates to the Walter Dick and Lou Carey’s systems approach to instructional design will also be considered (Dick and Carey, 1996). A Seminal MODEL Gagnà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s approach to instructional design is considered a seminal model that has influenced many other design approaches and particularly the Dick & Carey systems approach. Gagnà © proposed that events of learning and categories of learning outcomes together provide a framework for an account of learning conditions. The diagram below, from the third edition of The Conditions of Learning (Gagnà ©, 1977), illustrates his vision of how the events of learning impact the conditions learning, which ultimately result in the learning outcomes, or learning capabilities. In The Conditions of Learning, Gagnà © acknowledges that he was considering the question "What factors really can make a difference to instruction?" when developing his learning and instructional design theories. His model proposed that the conditions of learning—some internal and some external to the learner—that affect the process of learning make up the events of learning.