If you are new to the instructional design world, it can be a bit overwhelming with the various models and learning theories. When I entered the instructional design arena, I had some facilitation experience, however, designing trainings was completely new to me. Thankfully I had a wonderful support system at work who taught me the foundations of instructional design.

Recently, I came across a blog that can assist new instructional designers to become familiar with learning experiences and models. This blog is titled “The Best Instructional Design Models for Creating Great Learning Experiences.”

The author does a great job of introducing the definition of the learning experience. From there, he describes active thinking and real-world preparation by using scenarios rather than just a definition. By following this model, the learner can better grasp the concept of the two words.

The author moves forward and discusses Gagne’s 9 Events. I particularly liked this inclusion of this learning experience as it can provide new instructional designers with a structure as they begin their ID journey. When I began my ID journey, I thought, “Where do I start?” By including this learning experience, the learners can utilize this model and grow their ID skills.

Now that the learner has an idea of a structure, the author introduces Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction. These principles call out when facilitation of training is needed. This is an important call out because not every piece of training needs facilitation unless it will positively impact the learning experience. An additional model Merrill developed is called, The Pebble in the Pond Model, which provides learners with the opportunity to solve various problems that result in obtaining the skills they need to complete the final problem, task, or training goal.

The final model the author includes in this blog is action mapping. Personally, I use this model in content assessments to gauge if the learner retained the information from the training; however, it can also be used mid-training.

To conclude, I suggest new instructional designers take a moment to read this blog and become familiar with the various methodologies. The blog provides great foundational knowledge into ID and can assist new instructional designers up their trainings.