Comments on the preceding article which examined elaboration theory and offered suggestions for updating it to reflect new knowledge. Highlights include the simplifying conditions method; internal versus external knowledge structures; connectionism and authentic tasks; content structure as organizing structure; ill-structured domains; and…

Examines elaboration theory of instruction (ETI), a theory that prescribes different patterns of sequencing for different kinds of learning. Presents results of surveying undergraduate students who have undergone ETI sequencing. Results identify the strengths and weaknesses of the instruction and ways of improving it. Student debriefing questions…

Discussion of the use of sequencing in instructional design focuses on a project that used a multiple strands elaboration sequence incorporating theory and practice in a physical therapy course. Procedures for parallel elaboration of multiple content strands are listed, future research is suggested, and lesson contents are appended. (Contains 17…

This study investigated the effects of sequence and synthesis prescriptions from the Elaboration Theory by teaching the parts of a microcomputer system based on a parts-conceptual structure. A 2x3 factorial design was used which incorporated two sequences, general-to-detailed and detailed-to-general, and three levels of synthesizer, i.e., no…

Discussion of learner control in instructional management describes six learner control methods: (1) content control; (2) sequence control; (3) pace control; (4) display or strategy control; (5) internal processing control; and (6) advisor strategies. Relevant literature, both theoretical and empirical, is reviewed, and learner control and…

This study investigated the effects of different structures of a synthesizer and formats of the generality component on the application and remember levels of learning. Seventy-three undergraduates participated. Four treatment groups were formed by combining two types of structure (complete versus partial) with two types of format in generality…

Many basic skills are chains of cognitive operations. For teaching such skills, two questions have not been adequately investigated: (1) how the operations comprising the skill should be sequenced, and (2) the relationships among the operations that need to be taught. This investigation entailed four studies on different types and lengths of basic…