Describes some of the many conceptions of learning that have guided the field of instructional design in two main periods: one focusing on learning from an objectivist perspective, which lasted most of the 20th century, and one focusing on learning from cognitive and social constructivist perspectives, which has dominated the past decade. (AEF)

Integrates contemporary theories of learning into a theory of learning as activity. Explains ecological psychology, changes in understanding of learning, activity systems and activity theory (including the integration of consciousness and activity), and activity structure; and discusses learning as a cognitive and social process. (LRW)

Contrasts modern and post-modern views of technology and suggests a newer, transformative view of educational technology in an effort to explain why technology has failed and to provide a vision for how it could work. Discusses technology as teaching medium; technology as power; technoglobalism; and mediating the social con-construction of…

Examines the role of goals in the learning process and reviews another theoretical perspective, experienced cognition as additional justification for the constructivist revolution affecting the field of instructional design. Addresses the implications of experienced cognition for dealing with learning goals and learning environments. (Contains 32…

Explores the utility of mental models as learning outcomes in using complex and situated learning environments. Describes two studies: one aimed at eliciting mental models in the heads of novice refrigeration technicians, and the other an ethnographic study eliciting knowledge and models within the community of experienced refrigeration…

Examines the merits of situated learning, constructivism, and feminist pedagogy as educational reforms. In each case, the theoretical construct is described, justified (in terms of why it improves learning experiences), and defended based on research in the field. The constraints on systemic change and the problem of seeing its implementation to…

The strongly positivist beliefs on which traditional conceptions of instructional design (ID) are based derive from Aristotelian logic and oversimplify the world, reducing human learning and performance to a repertoire of manipulable behaviors. Reviews the cases against deterministic predictability and discusses hermeneutic, fuzzy logic, and chaos…

Discusses cognitive style (the degree to which perception is influenced by environmental variables) and cognitive control (which focuses on the regulation of perception by the ego). Concepts addressed include field dependence-independence, field articulation, conceptual style, cognitive tempo, intrusive information, focal attention, and…

Discusses conflict between instructional potential of interactive videodiscs and interests of educational publishers and proposes a generic videodisc as a solution. Generic disc design preferences, equipment needed by teachers to program various learning options to adapt materials to local needs, and a list of videodisc authoring systems are…

Presents a list of recommended practices for designing computer-based instruction courseware based on principles derived from learning research. Research-based principles and the corresponding design practices are outlined for the areas of stimulus design, learner responses, feedback, and lesson control. (6 references) (CLB)

Proposes a taxonomy which describes interactivity and adaptation outside the context of any particular medium. Designed to facilitate the instructional design and media selection processes, this taxonomy is represented as a cube whose axes represent interactivity and internal and external adaptation levels. Levels of interactivity and adaptation…

Reviews conceptual bases for hypertext, relates them to hypertext design issues, and suggests research issues that need to be addressed. Topics discussed include cognitive psychology; schema theory and semantic networks; problems with hypertext; knowledge structures; software; inductive and deductive design methods; and expert systems. (12…

Discusses the field of instructional systems technology (IST) and the definition of its subject matter domain; describes cognitive mapping and semantic relatedness; and reports results of a study that generated a cognitive map to define the structure of research and theory in IST. (three references) (LRW)

Considers the goal of creating communities of learners and how to integrate technology with learning. Highlights include cognitive apprenticeships; qualities of meaningful learning, including constructivism and collaboration; assumptions about technology, including knowledge construction; proper roles for technology; and how to support meaningful…

Addresses problems in evaluation that are raised by constructivism. Highlights include a comparison of objectivism and constructivism; constructivistic criteria, including goal-free evaluation, which focus on authentic tasks, knowledge construction, context-driven evaluation, the appropriate stages of knowledge acquisition, and multiple…