A systems approach to instructional design (SAID) has as its core features the application of systematic instructional design procedures and media to the planning and execution of learning tasks. It is based on the assumption that instruction can be conceived as a system consisting of logically interconnected parts, such as the learner, teacher, learning material, and the learning environment, that are working toward a common goal. This perception of learning was strengthened by the teachings of behaviorism, a school of psychological thought that was dominant when instructional theory was initiated around 1950, and that had a great deal of influence on theory and research on instruction, learning, and human behavior. The behaviorist emphasizes on producing observable and measurable student outcomes, pre-assessing students as a basis for instruction, sequencing of instructional presentation, and using reinforcement to strengthen learning outcomes; all these elements provided the bases for the emergence of early models of SAID. This entry defines SAID, examines the historical forces that have shaped its development to date, discusses some of its many variants and their assumptions, and concludes with a look at emerging trends in the application of SAID in online learning.


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