Welcome & Course Overview

Welcome to Fundamentals of Instructional Design. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the theories, models, and frameworks that underpin effective online course design, with special attention to self-paced learning environments like those at Saylor Academy.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. LO1: Describe the ADDIE framework and explain the purpose of each of its five phases in the instructional design process.
  2. LO2: Compare social, constructivist, and connectivist learning theories and evaluate their relevance to self-paced online education.
  3. LO3: Differentiate among three instructional design models—Dick & Carey, PIE, and Backward Design—and identify appropriate applications for each.
  4. LO4: Analyze four instructional design theories—Situational Principles, Interaction Equivalency, Transactional Distance, and Standardization—and their implications for course design.
  5. LO5: Apply Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction to the design of self-paced online learning experiences.

Course Structure

This course is organized into five content units plus a summative assessment, built around a three-part video lecture series. Each unit includes timecoded video segments, key concept summaries, and formative self-checks to reinforce your understanding.

Unit Topic Video Source
1 The ADDIE Framework Part 1
2 Learning Theories for Online Education Part 1
3 Instructional Design Models Part 2
4 Instructional Design Theories Parts 2 & 3
5 Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction Part 3
6 Summative Assessment —