Technological Advancement; Thinking Skills

Scientific advancements in cognitive science and instructional technology extend the behaviorally-oriented learning paradigm of instructional design and management in three major areas: (1) analysis of information-to-be-learned; (2) means of evaluating learners; and (3) linkage of learning theory to instructional prescriptions. The two basic types of analysis of information-to-be-learned--content analysis and task analysis--both identify the external structure of the information without regard for how it might be stored in human memory. Cognitive science suggests that a context analysis should also be conducted and the concepts and their organization for employment identified to provide a means for sequencing instruction so that it improves the use of knowledge in problem solving. While learner evaluation in the behavioral paradigm focuses on observable student performance, evaluation in th