According to Robert Gagne, there are nine events that activate processes needed for effective learning

CET 747

Taxonomy

Sandy Nightingale

According to Robert Gagne, there are nine events that activate processes needed for effective learning. This taxonomy is an attempt to identify instructional strategies to support learning using distance education technologies that best correspond to each of Gagne’s events.

Gagne’s Events and the Distance Technologies and Strategies That Support Them:

1. Gain Attention

Streamed Video - To ensure that the learners are ready to learn and participate in activities, it is critical to present a stimulus to gain their attention. Presenting something new, different, or shocking to learners will help gain their attention. For example, a biology instructor could use an image of a beating heart to introduce a web-based instruction lesson on the circulatory system.
Discussion Board - Posing questions to the learner can help guide his/her search for skills and knowledge. For example, a philosophy instructor could use computer-mediated conferencing to propose the question, "What is truth?" to facilitate a discussion around objectivism vs. relativism.
Chat - Having learners generate their own questions helps them decide what is important in the lesson and provides the instructor with information about learners' expectations. For example, an educational psychology instructor could use a chat room in web-based instruction to allow students to pose questions, such as "How will using stats apply to my job?"

2. Inform Learner of Objectives

On-line syllabus - Describing the required performance helps learners set expectations for the course. Expectations should be clearly defined and written in terms that the learner will understand. An on-line syllabus could be used to inform the learner of the objectives.
NetMeeting - Chatting through NetMeeting to present criteria that students must meet for them to successfully complete assignments will help learners conceptualize "successful performance".
Discussion Board - Allowing learners to generate their own assessment criteria provides an opportunity for them to judge the quality of a "successful performance." For example, posing questions on the discussion board to ask the students what they feel are the important criteria to use when evaluating their assignments.

3. Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning

NetMeeting - One method that helps learners make sense of new information is to relate it to something they already know, or something they have already experienced.

4. Present Stimulus Material

Computer-mediated conferencing - Present vocabulary in a variety of ways to enhance retention and transfer of knowledge and skills. For example, a math instructor could use computer-mediated conferencing to give the definition of a parallelogram to a student.
Web-based instruction - A French instructor could use web-based instruction to present opportunities for students to type in definitions for several French words.
Print - The science instructor could use print to present characteristics related to the concept of natural selection.
Video - Provide examples to enable learners to anchor their understanding in common terms, objects, or actions. For example, the elementary school teacher could use a video to show her students examples of the seasons.
Print - Provide graphic cues to help direct and focus learner attention. For example, the instructor could use print materials to show his elementary school students examples of circles and shapes that are not circles.
Video demonstration - Demonstration of the behavior or skill that an instructor would like his/her students to perform, enables them to have a good understanding of the expectations and actions involved in the behavior.

5. Provide Learner Guidance

Class Website with list of learner strategies and resources - Advise the learner of strategies to aid learning and of resources available on class website. For example, providing web-based instructional support (e.g., examples, practice questions, tools, materials, and other resources) helps students master new skills or information.
Chat - Helping learners develop strategies such as note-taking, underlining, creating visuals or outlines, etc. allows them to better recall information. During chat, draw attention to strategies and resources available to help them with their assignments.

6. Elicit Performance

White Board - Have your learners create and share visual representations of what they know using the whiteboard.
E-mail - . The Science instructor uses print for a lesson in which the students are to generate inferences and reasons for the situation presented and email them to the instructor

7. Provide Feedback

E-mail - An important way to assess and facilitate learning is to provide immediate feedback after practice as to how the learner performed. This could be done through email.
Video-conferencing - An instructor could use video conferencing to give students feedback on their responses and suggestions for further reflection.
Print - The instructor could provide feedback by inserting comments in a different colored print directly onto the student’s work and then emailing them.

8. Assess Performance

On-line pretest - The instructor utilizes an on-line pretest to assess students' prior knowledge.
Web-quest - The instructor assigns a Web-quest with specific questions to answer while completing the Web-quest.
On-line posttest - An online post test is used to evaluate students’ knowledge.
Final project - A final project could be assigned to assess synthesis and evaluation.

9. Enhance Retention and Transfer

Video and Email - To help learners develop expertise, they must internalize new knowledge. For example, a Social Studies instructor could show students a video on the Sphinx and ask them to re-write the story in their own words, emailing him the completed assignment.
Inspiration software and email - The instructor could have students create a concept map or web of material to help students see and understand the relations between different components.
Computer-mediated conferencing and whiteboard - A science instructor could have the students use the whiteboard (in computer-mediated conferencing) to categorize foods according to the plant part that they come from.