ID model & Learning theory

As pointed out earlier, the fusion of M. David Merrill's instructional design preposition known as his First Principles of Instruction along with Active learning theory, support adult learning in online environments. While Merrill's principles stipulate 5 principles that must be considered when designing strategies and activities for instruction, his framework becomes more useful when closely analyzing their purpose. For example, Merills indicates that once the learning task ( or real world problem-solving opportunity ) has been established, the instructor must engage the learner through what is known as the Activation phase.

Active learning theory also contributes to the notion of engaging the learner to make him or her the fulcrum of learning. In other words, engagement is the point of entry in order to reach the learner. Active learning emphasizes how students learn, which means that instructors must challenge the learners' thinking. The more this learning process unfolds the more the learner is able to gain deeper levels of understanding as demonstrated in Bloom's taxonomy.