Core Learning Principle #9: Different Instruction is Required for Different Learning Outcomes
Robert Gagne, widely considered as the father of the discipline of instructional design, observed in Conditions of
Learning (1965) that all instruction is not equal and that different types of instruction are required for different learning
outcomes. Though not a groundbreaking concept today, the idea was quite novel in 1965.
What this principle means is that what a faculty member does makes a difference in what students do, in what students
learn, and in what concepts students may or may not develop. This principle also reinforces the instructional design
practice of planning student assessments simultaneously with the planning of instructional experiences and of
embedding assessments within instructional events. This principle encourages us to answer the instructional design
question of what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you want your students to develop and grow and then to design the
teaching and learning events to accomplish those goals and determine what evidence will illustrate student
accomplishments.
An example of this principle is the gradual reintegration of apprenticeships, internships, and complex problem-solving
simulations into teaching and learning experiences. If the desired outcome is for students to be great chefs, they probably
need to cook; if the desired set of skills is becoming entrepreneurs, students probably need to serve as apprentices in an
internship environment or at least practice entrepreneurial activities. This principle is also at work with pilot training on
simulators and students practicing lab techniques in a model environment. As faculty design their courses, they should
ensure that they have explicitly defined the outcomes they seek to reach and that the learning experiences consistently
support and assess these outcomes.