The ISD I have chosen to review is Gagne’s Nine Steps of Instruction. Personally, I find this type of instruction to be one that I can relate to the most. Throughout the the “nine steps” I enjoy that it uses relevance and facilitation. Gagne’s Nine Steps of Instruction starts by introducing the content by seeking a relevant ground that all students can relate. The teacher plays the role of facilitator, guiding the learning as seen fit. Feedback is provided and the assignment is assessed for learning. Buscombe (2013) states that Gagne’s steps are arranged in a way “to maximally enhance the learning process, improve session flow, and ultimately, ensure lesson objectives are comprehensively address” (p. 302). Another upside to this form of learning is that it can be used in multiple fields outside of education. Buscombe (2013) noted that the process of Gagne’s steps are easily transferred to the realm of teaching psychomotor skills to patients who have had certain surgeries.
However, there are no ISD’s without critics with some being more harsh than others. When looking for critical evidence that describes the weakness of this instructional design, it was difficult to find some solid evidence. However, there were some modifications that were found. Modifying notes that the original is not good enough and needs some form of change. For instance, Ilie (2014) noted that it was viewed as incomplete. Through his observations, he was able to see that teachers in Romania had added their own parts to the theory. There are other designs that combine Gagne’s design into less numbers and then add their own steps to the process. Areas that have been added by other designers include discussion related steps, organizational steps, and more (Ilie, 2014). Ilie (2014) also pointed out that in order for this learning process to work, it was required that teachers know their students well. If teachers are unfamiliar with their students or do not know them well, this instructional design can cause some serious struggles for teachers..
As for applying this design to distance education, I find that I relate to this the most through the introductory materials and concepts. Instead of just jumping in the curriculum, there is time spent fostering interest and relevancy to the topic. Personally, I find this to be the most effective with me. When there is something that I can find relatable to the topic, it not only becomes more interesting, but also more effective in my life. There have been classes and subjects that have been covered in college and graduate level classes that I have struggled to find relevant and relatable in my life. This doesn’t mean it lacked importance, but it does point to the idea of creating a foundation of relatability and relevance. Secondly, I find that the role of the facilitator to fit the role very easily in distance learning. The teacher presents some materials. The teacher may start the discussion (even making it relevant and relatable) and turns the reins over to the students to interact, develop, and learn while assessing students’ performance and providing feedback.
References:
Buscombe, C. (2013). Using Gagne’s theory to teach procedural skills. The Clinical Teacher, 10(5), 302-307. doi:10.1111/tct.12051
Ilie, M. (2014). An adaption of Gagné’s instructional model to increase the teaching effectiveness in the classroom: The impact in Romanian Universities. Education Tech Research Dev Educational Technology Research and Development, 62(6), 767-794. doi:10.1007/s11423-014-9353-6
