Oldie but a Goodie

M. David Merrill’s “First Principles of Instruction” is a fine conglomeration of history’s expertise in instructional design. However, he seemed to have very weary connotations towards using technology in the classroom:

• “[Mayer (1992b, 2001)] has also demonstrated that some combinations of multimedia compete for attention and therefore increase the cognitive load for the student.” (Merrill 49)
• “Often glitz, animation, multimedia, and games are justified as motivational elements of an instructional product. However, for the most part, these aspects have a temporary effect on motivation.” (Merrill 50)

I thought the article was an excellent analysis and synthesis of the common threads between instructional theories, but I also don’t blame Merrill for his careful (not to mention general) advice when using multimedia tools. Many teachers will often sacrifice educational value in simple approaches for games, videos and other software that may be thought of as cooler (or more extrinsically motivating) in the student’s eye. “Second, first principles of instruction can be implemented in any delivery system or using any instructional architecture.” (Merrill 44). So don’t throw away your overhead projectors just yet.