The new Component Design Theory: instructional design for courseware authoring

Abstract

This paper outlines extensions of Component Display Theory to provide the type of design guidance needed for experiential computer based instructional systems. The new Component Design Theory (CDT) extends the original theory in several significant ways. Content types are extended to content structures. These content structures include experiential as well as structural representations. Primary presentation forms are extended to primary presentation functions and the display is replaced by the transaction. Various types of transactions are identified for both structural and experiential representations. Course organization, previously described as Elaboration Theory, is included as part of the new CDT. Consistency rules are extended to include: (a) goal-content representation consistency; (b) goal/content representation-transaction consistency; and (c) goal/content representation-course organization consistency. Intervention rules are included for intra-transaction guidance, inter-transaction selection and sequence (strategy), inter-content representation selection and sequence (sequence) and control (who makes the guidance, strategy and sequence decisions, the learner or the system?). Finally a set of cardinal instructional principles is identified and the sets of rules which comprise the new CDT are suggested as prescribed procedures for implementing these cardinal principles.

1. The preparation of this paper was supported in part by funds provided by The Army Research Institute via Human Technology, Inc. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring organization or Human Technology, Inc.

2. Mark Hopkins was a powerful teacher and President of William College of Massachusetts (1836–1872). It is said that the best instructional technique ever devised was Mark Hopkins on one end of a log and a student on the other.