First principles of Instruction (Merrill)

I know someone has already chosen this subject but I am going to use it as well because I have a meeting this week and I believe the information from this topic will be very helpful during this meeting.  (Sorry to the person who got fair and square dibs on this topic – I owe you one.) Doug – I can do an additional topic if you would like - let me know.

I decided to use this topic, as previously mentioned, based on a meeting I have scheduled this coming Wednesday.  As I began my research I was fascinated and a bit intimidated to find that David Merrill is an Emeritus Professor here at Utah State University. Much of his research on this theory was conducted while teaching at USU.  Again, interesting and intimidating.

David Merrill’s theory “First Principles of Instruction” was founded based on his evaluation of hundreds of instructional products.  He discovered that many of the products were poorly designed and many did not “teach at all.”  To make sense of what he discovered he looked at the theories and models that did work and found what they had in common.  “We have called these principles First Principles of Instruction.” (Merrill, 2005)

While his theory is only a few years old (early 2000’s) it seems that is has quickly become widely accepted and used.  A local training and design company (Allen Communication) has adopted his model of instructional design as a core foundation in their process.  (Allen Communication, 2007)

In short, Merrill’s model is that students learn best when completing task-centered real-world based instruction.  There are four steps in this process, activation, demonstration, application, integration.   In order for an instruction to be given his 5-star approval it must be based in the real world, must build (activate) on previous experiences, be demonstrated by the learner, be applied and be integrated into the learners world.  (Merrill, 2001)

An example of this will be the applied to the project I am working on in Yanghee’s class. My instruction is to have someone be able to properly prepare a mailing list for an invitation to a regional Alumni event.   Very simply put, if I were to apply this to my instruction I would need to follow his guide and make sure the following questions were answered: (EduTech Wiki, 2007)

·         Are the learners engaged in solving real-world problems?

o   The mailing lists need to be prepared monthly. 

·         Is existing knowledge activated as a foundation for new knowledge?

o   There are several steps in the instruction that require prior knowledge of the information and software used for preparation.

·         Is the new knowledge demonstrated to the learner?

o   This is one area that I would need to work on.  I believe I would need to include more screen shots of the process for it to be considered a demonstration.

·         Is the new knowledge applied by the learner?

o   This process would need to be used at least once a month when preparing mailing lists.

·         Is the new knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world.

o   Some of the basic steps taught in this instruction would lend to being able to complete several other projects in the office with great ease.

References

Allen Communication, (2007). Instructional Design Philosophy for Custom Courseware. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from Allen Communication Web site: http://www.allencomm.com/dnn/Approach/InstructionalDesign/tabid/82/Default.aspx

EduTech Wiki, (2007, 6, 4). First principles of instruction. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from EduTech Wiki Web site: http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/First_principles_of_instruction

Merrill, D (2001). Does Your Instruction Rate 5 Stars? . Retrieved October 14, 2008, Web site: http://id2.usu.edu/5Star/Workshops/5StarWorkshop1.PDF

Merrill, D (2004). Papers. Retrieved October 13, 2008, from M. David Merrill Web site: http://cito.byuh.edu/merrill/text/papers.htm