Gagne's Theory of Instruction

prepared by
Michael Corry
for
Dr. Donald Cunningham
P540 - Spring 1996

Robert Gagne's theory of instruction has provided a great number of valuable ideas to
instructional designers, trainers, and teachers. But is it really useful to everyone at all
times? During this paper, I will assume the position of a teacher educator (something I
have done formally for several years now) while examining the strengths and
weaknesses of Gagne's theory of instruction. Driscoll (1994) breaks Gagne's theory
into three major areas - the taxonomy of learning outcomes, the conditions of
learning, and the events of instruction. I will focus on each of these three areas while
briefly describing the theory of instruction. Once this brief introduction of the theory
is completed, I will attempt to turn this theory "back upon itself" while examining the
strengths and weaknesses of it's various assumptions.

Gagne's Theory of Instruction

As previously explained Gagne's theory of instruction is commonly broken into three

areas. The first of these areas that I will discuss is the taxonomy of learning outcomes.
Gagne's taxonomy of learning outcomes is somewhat similar to Bloom's taxonomies
of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes (some of these taxonomies were
proposed by Bloom, but actually completed by others). Both Bloom and Gagne
believed that it was important to break down humans' learned capabilities into
categories or domains. Gagne's taxonomy consists of five categories of learning
outcomes - verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, and
motor skills. Gagne, Briggs, and Wager (1992) explain that each of the categories
leads to a different class of human performance.

Essential to Gagne's ideas of instruction are what he calls "conditions of learning." He

breaks these down into internal and external conditions. The internal conditions deal
with previously learned capabilities of the learner. Or in other words, what the learner
knows prior to the instruction. The external conditions deal with the stimuli (a purely
behaviorist term) that is presented externally to the learner. For example, what
instruction is provided to the learner.
To tie Gagne's theory of instruction together, he formulated nine events of instruction.
When followed, these events are intended to promote the transfer of knowledge or
information from perception through the stages of memory. Gagne bases his events of
instruction on the cognitive information processing learning theory.

The way Gagne's theory is put into practice is as follows. First of all, the instructor
determines the objectives of the instruction. These objectives must then be categorized
into one of the five domains of learning outcomes. Each of the objectives must be
stated in performance terms using one of the standard verbs (i.e. states, discriminates,
classifies, etc.) associated with the particular learning outcome. The instructor then
uses the conditions of learning for the particular learning outcome to determine the
conditions necessary for learning. And finally, the events of instruction necessary to
promote the internal process of learning are chosen and put into the lesson plan. The
events in essence become the framework for the lesson plan or steps of instruction.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Theory and it's Assumptions

As a teacher educator who has employed Gagne's theory into real life, I have some
unique insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the theory and it's assumptions. I
will again structure my comments following the three areas of the theory as described
by Driscoll (1994). I will first examine the domains of learning outcomes. As a
teacher the domains of learning have helped me to better organize my thoughts and
the objectives of the instructional lesson. This proved to be very beneficial to me as a
teacher, because I was always looking for a good way to put more structure into the
objectives of my lesson plans. Additionally, the domains of learning helped me to
better understand what types of learning I was expecting to see from my students.

One of the greatest weakness that I experienced with Gagne's theory was taking the
goals I had for my students, putting them into the correct learning outcome category,
and then creating objectives using Gagne's standard verbs. I would like to break this
problem into two parts. First, as I began to use the theory, it quickly became apparent
that some goals were easy to classify into the learning outcome categories, but that
many were not as easy to categorize. As a teacher, I spent a great deal of time reading
and studying Gagne's categories in an attempt to better understand how certain goals
fit in the different categories. This was good in the sense that it forced me to really
understand what I wanted my students to do. But, on the other hand, it always caused
me a great deal of uneasiness about whether or not I was fouling up the whole process
by putting the goal into the wrong learning outcome category.

The second half of this weakness has to do with creating objectives using Gagne's
standard verbs. After the experience with categorizing the goal into the proper
learning outcome, I was faced with changing my goal into a performance objective
using one of the standard verbs. This always bothered me as a teacher because I felt
like I couldn't always force my objectives into the form that the theory needed. I do
believe that writing down objectives is very important, but the standard verbs made
the process so rigid that I felt like I was filling in the blanks. I always felt like I had no
creativity in writing the objectives - I felt pigeonholed. Along with this feeling came
the fact that all objectives had to be written in performance terms. This also made me
feel a little uneasy because I felt that some of the overriding objectives I had for my
students could not be expressed in performance terms. This objectives were more
process oriented than product oriented. It was always very difficult to put these
processes into performance terms using the standard verbs.

As a teacher educator I found that the conditions of learning proposed by Gagne were
very beneficial. I saw them as guidelines to follow. I didn't take them to be
algorithmic in nature but more heuristic. They seemed to make logical sense and in
fact I think they helped me better structure my lesson plans and my teaching. Once
again however, even though I viewed the conditions as heuristics, I did feel that I was
somewhat of a robot carrying out commands. I always felt as though I was being
driven by the conditions.

This leads directly to a discussion of the events of instruction. I felt that the events of
instruction really helped me the most as a teacher. The events gave me the skeleton on
which I could hang my lesson. The events not only provided me with a road map to
follow, but also a way to look at my lesson plans in a more holistic nature. I was able
to see how the parts of the lesson fit together to achieve the ultimate goal.

This part of Gagne's theory seemed to be the least rigid to me because you did not
have to follow it as rigorously as other parts of the theory. For example, Gagne
explains that most lessons should follow the sequence of the events of instruction, but
that the order is not absolute. While I appreciated the fact that this was less rigid than
other parts of the theory, I always had one important question. If the events of
instruction follow the cognitive learning process, then why would it be advisable to
change the sequence of the events or to leave events out? Wouldn't this have a great
impact of the learning process? Would learning still take place?

This leads me to the learning theory upon which Gagne bases his instructional theory.
As a teacher early in my career who was very enamored with computers, cognitive
information processing theory seemed like a great explanation of the learning process
(I am not sure I still feel the same way). However, those who do not understand or
agree with cognitive information processing theory might not feel the same. For those
people, I believe that Gagne's theory might not work very well for them.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to summarize the points I have tried to cover in this paper.
First of all, Gagne's theory does provide a great deal of valuable information to
teachers like myself. I believe it is mostly appealing to those teachers who may be
early in their teaching careers and are in need of structure for their lesson plans and a
holistic view of their teaching. The theory is very systematic and rigid at most points.
It is almost like a cookbook recipe to ensure successful teaching and ultimately
learning by the students. However, the systematic nature of the theory may be a turn-
off for many teachers, particularly those who like to be creative, don't like rigidity,
and who don't believe in a cookbook approach to ensure learning.

An additional point to cover is that the theory is not always easy to implement. I am
sure I am not alone in my feeling that many times it is difficult to take the goals I had
for my students, put them into the correct learning outcome category, and then create
objectives using Gagne's standard verbs.

The final point I would like to cover deals with the learning theory upon which Gagne
bases his theory. First of all, if the events of instruction really match up with the
learning process, then I do not believe it would be advisable to change the sequence of
the events or to leave certain events out of the sequence altogether. Second, cognitive
information processing is not acceptable to all teachers. Many teachers would not
agree with this idea of how learning takes place. For those who disagree with
cognitive information processing, Gagne's theory of instruction would not fit their
needs.

Bibliography

Driscoll, M. P. (1994). Psychology of learning for instruction. Boston: Allyn and

Bacon.

Gagne, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of instructional

design. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
How to Use Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction
[Examples]
by Andrew DeBell | Last updated Dec 11, 2022
Creating a learning experience and not sure where to start? Robert Gagne has you
covered.
Based on his research from the 1960’s, Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction
are intended to provide teachers, trainers, instructors, and instructional designers with
a set of guidelines to create efficient and effective learning experiences.
Each step in Gagne’s process provides a communication strategy that is intended to
further deepen the human learning process. As each step is completed, learners are
meant to become interested, engaged, and invested in the learning topic.
Before you begin designing eLearning courses or instructor-led training materials,
make sure you read through and apply all of Gagne’s guidelines.
We suggest printing out the guidelines and using them as a checklist as you
design your learning experience. The checklist certainly helps you stay on track,
making sure your developed learning output is engaging, memorable, and effective.
 
How to use the guidelines:
Gagne’s steps are meant to be used in sequential order – starting with the first step and
moving through all nine, in order. As you utilize each step, the theory states that
learners should become more engaged and invested in the subject matter. Let’s get
started!

1. Gain your learner’s attention

As soon as your learning experience begins, BOOM! you must capture your
learner’s attention. Presenting a powerful stimulus at the start is essential for gaining
learner interest and sustaining motivation and engagement.
Tips for gaining learner attention:
 Play a humorous video clip
 Ask a thought-provoking question
 Tell an emotional story
 Share surprising statistics or facts
 Tell a joke
 Poll the audience
 Present a challenge
 Play a game
 Have learners ask questions
  Do an ice-breaker activity
 Have a controversial discussion
2. Inform learners of the objectives
Once your learners are engaged, they need to know what to expect from your learning
experience. This helps your audience understand the full picture. Providing
expectations around what they will learn helps put your audience in a learning
mindset.
Tips for stating objectives:
 Create an objective slide
 Explain what the audience will learn and why it is important
 Describe the goals and outcomes of the learning experience
 Explain how this information will benefit the learners
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
Many cognitive psychologists suggest that leveraging prior knowledge is critical to
continuing knowledge. That is, new knowledge builds upon old knowledge that’s
already stored in our long-term memory. In this step, the goal is to activate the recall
of that old knowledge. Once the old knowledge is recalled (or remembered), it makes
it easier to connect the dots to new information.
Tips for stimulating recall:
 Ask questions from the last lesson
 Conduct pop quizzes
 Post discussion board questions related to prior knowledge
 Perform pre-tests to understand what the audience already knows
 Create lesson plans that build upon each other
4. Present the learning content
This is the most straightforward step of all – do the teaching! This is where a variety
of different approaches can be used to present the learning content to the learners.
Make sure to adjust and use appropriate methods if you are creating an instructor-led
learning program or a virtual online learning program.
As you’re developing your presentation of learning content, it’s important to
remember a few key tips. Make sure your learning content is well-organized and
structured in smaller chunks. Especially in eLearning, ensure that the content is
engaging by using images, videos, and relevant multimedia.
Tips for presenting the learning content:
 Assign books/articles
 Watch videos
 Perform lectures
  Require writing (or notes)
 Assign activities and projects
 Post homework assignments
5. Provide guidance for learning
As an instructional designer, you need to make the learning experience as simple
and straightforward as possible. Sometimes that means providing exact instructions on
where to click and what to do next. It may seem intuitive to you, but it often helps to
be overly clear in your instructions to avoid any confusion.
Tips for providing learning guidance:
 Provide expectations as needed
 Write clear and concise instructions
 Provide an accessible ‘next’ button for online learning experiences
 Include tips on how best to navigate the course
6. Elicit performance (allow time for practice)
After content is presented, you need to allow time for learners to practice. The mix of
repetition and recall is critical to any deep-learning. After all, this is the first time your
audience has the chance to apply what they’ve learned.
Tips for eliciting performance:
 Knowledge checks, quizzes, and tests
 eLearning branching scenarios
 Activities, projects, and writing assignments
 Role-playing situations
 Group discussions and sharing
7. Provide timely feedback 
Personalized, immediate feedback is most effective for learning. Feedback is the only
way your learners know what they’re doing correctly and what they need to improve
upon. Make sure your learning experience has some type of feedback system built-in.
This is easier to implement for instructor-led learning experiences than for eLearning,
but it can still be done.
Tips for providing feedback:
 Personalized written feedback on assignments and projects
 Detailed rubrics outlining both positive and negative feedback
 Use peer-evaluation assessments
8. Assess Performance
Recall, or remembering, is the ultimate way to learn. When you try to remember
something, your brain replays a similar pattern of neural activity that you already
experienced. The more practice you have at remembering this information, the more
solidified this similar pattern becomes.
Assessments are the formal way to test learner recall. This helps learners understand
what they already know, and what they need to spend more time
learning. Assessments also capture important learning data to help us as designers
improve future instruction.
Tips for assessing performance:
 Include pop quizzes
 Use written exams
 Assess often throughout the course
9. Enhance retention and transfer
At the end of your instruction, learners need to be able to apply their knowledge to
real-world situations. This step is arguably the most difficult of all of Gagne’s events.
Make sure you spend plenty of time allowing learners to practice themselves.
Tips for enhancing retention:
 Use real-world scenarios
 Build in time for real-world practice
 Interactive eLearning activities
 Allow for flexible learning opportunities (such as mobile access)
 Continually use examples of real-world situations
 Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning
Training Your Team Effectively

Have you ever trained someone on a new process or skill? Perhaps you thought
it would be an easy, straightforward task. But once you actually started the
session, it may have been harder than you expected.
Everyone has different learning styles . So, how do you present information so
that the trainee, or group of trainees, is learning effectively? And when is it
appropriate to offer feedback, or ask for a demonstration of skills, to ensure that
trainees understand your message?
Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning provide a step-by-step approach that can help
managers, trainers, and facilitators structure their training so that their students
or teams get the most from their learning opportunities.
In this article and infographic, we'll examine Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning,
and we'll review how to apply this tool when training your team.
Background to Gagne's Nine Levels
Robert Gagne (1916–2002) was an educational psychologist who pioneered the
science of instruction in the 1940s. His book "The Conditions of Learning," first
published in 1965, identified the mental conditions that are necessary for
effective learning. [1]
Gagne created a nine-step process that detailed each element required for
effective learning. The model is useful for all types of learning, but this article
focuses on applying it to training your team in a work environment. You can see
these nine steps in figure 1, below. (We'll explore these in detail later in this
article.)
Figure 1: Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning
Benefits of Gagne's Model
Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning model gives trainers and educators a checklist
to use before they engage in teaching or training activities. Each step highlights
a form of communication that aids the learning process. When each step is
completed in turn, learners are much more likely to be engaged and to retain the
information or skills that they're being taught.
If you use this approach before any type of training session or presentation,
you'll remember how to structure your session so that your people get the best
possible learning experience.
How to Use Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning
We'll now look at each of the nine levels, and provide an example of how you
can apply each step in your own situation.
Level 1: Gaining Attention (Reception)
Start the learning experience by gaining the attention of your audience. This
change in stimulus alerts the group that learning will soon take place.
Apply: Gain attention by raising the volume of your voice, gesturing, showing a
short video on the topic of instruction, or using any other event that brings the
period of "waiting for the lesson to start" to an end.
Level 2: Informing Learners of the Objective (Expectancy)
Next, you must ensure that your team knows what they need to learn, and that
they understand why they're about to learn this new information.
Apply: Explain to your team what they will have learnt by the end of the
session. Then, explain how their learning is going to benefit them, and the
organization.
For example, you might explain that the new process that they're going to learn
about will save the organization 20 percent in overhead fees. Because of recent
budget cuts, the new lower-cost process will help your organization avoid laying
six people off in your department. Now that your team understands why they're
learning this new information, and what the risks are if they don't learn it, they'll
be more motivated and more receptive to your training.
Level 3: Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning (Retrieval)
When your people learn something new, match the new information with related
information or topics they've learned in the past.
Apply: Review any previous learning that you've done with your team, and
apply it to what they're learning now. Also, ask your team if they have any
previous experiences with the topic, or if they have experienced the problems
that the training is trying to resolve. Then make connections between what they
are learning, and their previous learning.
Level 4: Presenting the Stimulus (Selective Perception)
Present the new information to the group in an effective manner.
Apply: Organize your information in a logical and easy-to-understand manner.
Try to use a variety of different media and styles (such as visual cues, verbal
instruction, and active learning) to suit people with different learning styles.
Level 5: Providing Learning Guidance (Semantic Encoding)
To help your team learn and retain the information, provide alternative
approaches that illustrate the information that you're trying to convey.
Apply: Help your team learn more effectively by including examples, case
studies , graphics, storytelling , or analogies.
Level 6: Eliciting Performance (Responding)
At this stage, you need to ensure that your people can demonstrate their
knowledge of what you've taught them. The way that they show this depends on
what they're learning.
Apply: If you've taught a new process or skill, ask your people to demonstrate
how to use it (role playing exercises can be useful for this). If you've taught new
information, ask questions so that they can show their knowledge.
Level 7: Providing Feedback (Reinforcement)
After your team demonstrates their knowledge, provide feedback and reinforce
any points as necessary.
Apply: Imagine that you've taught your team a new technique for handling
difficult customers. After several role playing scenarios, you notice that a few
team members aren't assertive enough to calm the customer in this fictional
"tense situation." Your feedback and tips point out their mistakes so that they
can correct them.
Level 8: Assessing Performance (Retrieval)
Your team should be able to complete a test, or other measurement tool, to show
that they've learned the material or skill effectively. Team members should
complete this test independently, without any help or coaching from you.
Apply: Tests, short questionnaires, or even essays can be good ways of testing
your team's new knowledge.
Level 9: Enhancing Retention and Transfer (Generalization)
In this last stage, your team members show that they've retained information by
transferring their new knowledge or skill to situations that are different from the
ones you've trained them on.
Apply: Repeated practice is the best way to ensure that people retain
information and use it effectively. Make sure that your team has enough
opportunity to use their learning on a regular basis. Schedule "practice runs" if
you've been training on a new process, or have a follow-up session to review
information or skills.
As people become more proficient, schedule in variants of the practice runs and
expose people to different situations, so that they become comfortable
generalizing.