Applying Learning Theories to Online Instructional Design

Conclusion

To make online teaching and training materials more effective, an agency should first establish suitable learning goals and objectives. Since the priority of instruction is to "benefit" or "instruct" the learner, instructional designers should then strive to facilitate the learning process i.e., make learning easier. This can be accomplished by applying proven learning theories and pedagogical practices, as well as, practical web-design strategies and guidelines, to their instructional design:

However, "program planners need to exercise caution in assuming that adult development theories apply [equally] to females, racial, ethnic minority adults, individuals with disabilities, or others" (Ross-Gordon 1998, 225). They must also bear in mind that the limitations of the Web as a teaching and training vehicle and that it can potentially be a major cause of wasted time. To its disadvantage, the Web is (Fahy 1999, 181-182):

• Easy to get lost in (users can get confused bouncing around from one link to the next)
• Unstructured
• Non-interactive (although this is changing)
• Complex (the amount of information on the Web is mind-boggling)
• Time-consuming (because it is non-linear and invites exploration. NOTE: Research by Thaler [1997, as cited in Fahy 1999, 181] shows that "employees in a 1997 survey reported spending an average of 90 minutes per day visiting sites unrelated to their jobs").

To sum up the future of the Web as an educational tool, McDonald (1996 as cited in Fahy 1999, 182) provides us with the following insights. He claims that the Web will only become a useful educational tool when it exhibits the following characteristics:

• Ease of use: the Internet must become as easy to use as a telephone
• Accessibility: learners and teachers must have access to the Internet as convenient as the telephone

And solves the following three problems:

• Lack of speed
• Absence of security
• A relatively small number of users

Summary of Five Learning Theories

1. Gagne’s Conditions of Learning Theory is based on a hierarchy of intellectual skills organized according to complexity that can be used to identify prerequisites necessary to facilitate learning at each level. Instruction can be made more efficient by following a sequence of nine instructional events defined by the intellectual skills that the learner is required to learn for the specific task at hand.
2. Bruner’s Constructivist Theory asserts that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas based upon their current knowledge. Instruction can be made more efficient by providing a careful sequencing of materials to allow learners to build upon what they already know and go beyond the information they have been given to discover the key principles by themselves.
3. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors and attitudes of others. Instruction can be made more efficient by modeling desired behaviors of functional value to learners and by providing situations which allow learners to use or practice that behavior to improve retention.
4. Carroll’s Minimalist Theory advises that course designers must minimize instructional materials that obstruct learning and focus the design on activities that support learner-directed activity. Instruction can be made more efficient when the amount of reading is minimized and learners are allowed to fill in the gaps themselves.
5. Vygostky’s Theory of Social Cognitive Development reasons that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Instruction can be made more efficient when learners engage in activities within a supportive environment and receive guidance mediated by appropriate tools.