First Principles of Instruction ─ Identifying and Designing Effective, Efficient, and Engaging Instruction

This handy resource describes and illustrates the concepts underlying the “First Principles of Instruction” and illustrates First Principles and their application in a wide variety of instructional products. The book introduces the e³ Course Critique Checklist that can be used to evaluate existing instructional product. It also provides directions for applying this checklist and illustrates its use for a variety of different kinds of courses. The Author has also developed a Pebble-in-the-Pond instructional design model with an accompanying e³ ID Checklist. This checklist enables instructional designers to design and develop instructional products that more adequately implement First Principles of Instruction.

M. David Merrill is an instructional effectiveness consultant and professor emeritus at Utah State University. He currently teaches online courses at Brigham Young University Hawaii and University of Hawaii. Since receiving his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1964 he has served on the faculty of George Peabody College, Brigham Young University-Provo, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, Utah State University, Brigham Young University Hawaii, and Florida State University. He is internationally recognized as a major contributor to the field of instructional technology, has published many books and articles in the field and has lectured internationally. Among his principle contributions: TICCIT Authoring System 1970's, Component Display Theory and Elaboration Theory 1980's, Instructional Transaction Theory, automated instructional design and ID based on Knowledge Objects 1990's, and recently First Principles of Instruction. He was honored to receive the AECT Life Time Achievement Award. He resides in St. George, UT.