This paper discusses learner control as one of the main issues in instructional management and the importance of effectiveness and efficiency in the context of instructional/learning systems, and develops instructional prescriptions for learner control in a smorgasbord fashion. Strategies from both empirical and theoretical studies related to learner control were analyzed and classified by the Conditions-Methods-Outcomes (C-M-O) paradigm. It was found that current instructional prescriptions of learner control are composed of: (1) three instructional outcomes, i.e., effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal of the instruction; (2) three categories of instructional condition variables, i.e., learner characteristics, learning objectives or domains, and learning/instructional systems; and (3) five or more types of method variables, including content control, display (strategy) control, internal processing control such as conscious cognition and metacognition, intelligent advisor, advisement strategy, macro-level control (e.g., sequencing, selecting, summarizing, and synthesizing), user control, and system control. Prescriptions are then presented for content, sequence, pace, display or strategy, and internal processing control; conscious cognition; metacognition; and advisor strategies. It is suggested that teachers and instructional designers can use this prescriptive knowledge base to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of learning by their students in specific situations. (32 references) (BBM)