User:CCaCurtis2018/sandbox/Component Display Theory

The Component Display Theory (CDT) has gained its popularity among instructional designers since its introduction in 1983 by M. David Merrill. Subsequently, Merrill updated the Component Display Theory in 1994, renaming it the Component Design Theory.

The Designer

M. David Merrill was born on March 27, 1937, in Ogden, Utah. Since receiving his PhD from the University of Illinois in 1964, he has served on the faculty of seven universities. He and his wife Kate have nine children and 43 grandchildren, which he claims is his most important accomplishment. Merrill is an instructional effectiveness consultant and professor emeritus at Utah State University. He currently teaches online courses at Brigham Young University-Hawaii and the University of Hawaii. Among his principle contributions to instructional design are the TICCIT Authoring System, Component Display Theory and Elaboration Theory, Instructional Transaction Theory, automated instructional design and ID based on Knowledge Objects and recently his book First Principles of Instruction (Merrill, 2017). Merrill’s inspiration for the Component Display Theory was influenced by Gagne’s conditions for learning and was made to work in conjunction with Reigeluth’s theory.

Definition

The Component Display Theory is an instructional design theory which has a focus on cognitive outcomes. “The theory describes explicitly the components of the instructional process; it dissects, identifies and summarizes learner performance; it likewise dissects and synthesizes the subject matter content and matches content classification with learner performances” (Merrill, 1994, p.111). The goal of CDT is to separate the content from the instructional strategy, allowing the content to be plugged into the appropriate strategy to produce specific outcomes, making the learning more effective. The instructional design process was created ideally for computer-based learning systems but can also be used to design any instruction. The Component Display Theory discussed in this paper describes learning and instruction at the micro level. Dr Merrill’s update to the Component Design Theory in 1994, placed a larger focus on course structures or macro strategies.

Dimensions of the Component Display Theory

Learning in the Component Display Theory is classified along two dimensions: content and performance. The dimensions are based on the assumptions of conditions for learning developed by Gagne. Gagne believed that in order to plan what learning conditions should be present in instruction, learning goals should be categorized according to the outcome (Driscoll, 2005). The first dimension is the content dimension which describes the actual information to be learned. This dimension consists of facts, concepts, procedures and principles. A fact is an association between a date, event or name. Concepts are a set of objects, symbols or events that share the same characteristics. Procedures are a set of ordered steps for carrying out an activity, to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Principles are a cause-effect relationship to explain or predict why something happens in a particular way. The second dimension is the performance dimension and it is the way the learner applies the content. There are three types of performances: remembering, using and finding. Remembering requires the learner to search their memory and recall a particular piece of information previously known. Using requires learners to apply information to a specific case or scenario. Finding requires the learner to use the information to obtain, derive or invent a new concept (Merrill, 1994). “The categories correspond roughly to Gagne’s verbal information, intellectual skills and cognitive strategy, respectively” (Merrill, 1995, p.112).

'''Performance-Content Matrix Diagram '''

The performance-content matrix diagram is used to determine the performances and content that will be addressed by the instruction. The Y-axis describes the Level of Performance while the X-axis describes the Type of Content. Specific rules and processes are applied to the development of instruction once it is pinpointed to fall into one of the described categories “A presentation can be described as a sequence of such presentation forms together with the interrelationships among such forms” Merrill, 1994, p.120). There are four primary presentation forms. The four primary presentation forms are rules, examples, recall and practice. “A rule (generality) is a statement of a definition, principle or steps in a procedure” (Merrill, 1994, p.111). Rules are associated with expository presentations. “An example (instance) is a specific illustration of an object, symbol, event, process or procedure” (Merrill, 1994, p.111). Examples are associated with expository presentations. In recall, the learner is remembering, and it is associated with inquisitory presentations. Practice is the execution of a specific procedure or phenomenon and is associated with inquisitory presentations. These forms can be presented by using either the expository or inquisitory learning strategy. Expository means to tell or show. The ‘telling’ or ‘showing’ may be done by an expert who explains the information to the students and can be in the form of an instructor, video or textbook. Inquisitory means to ask or practice. Information may be presented in the form of a question that asks the learner to produce or construct the information (Merrill, 1994, p.120). Each of the primary presentation forms can be elaborated to form the secondary presentation forms which include important but not critical information. The purpose of the secondary presentation forms is to make the primary presentation forms more effective. To maximize effectiveness, instructional designers should “employ all primary and secondary presentation forms for the particular matrix cell” (Pappas, 2015).

Component Display Theory in Practice

“The CDT is appropriate only for cognitive outcomes and does not include psychomotor or affective objectives” (Merrill, 1994, p.11-112). Despite having a focus on the cognitive domain, the Component Display Theory is used in educational settings. Though CDT has been applied to computer-based learning (e-Learning) it can be applied to other disciplines. As mentioned earlier, the performance-content matrix serves as a guide to help instructional designers follow specific steps to make learning more effective. “One of the primary functions of instruction is to promote and guide active mental processing on the part of the student when learning the information” (Merrill, 1994, p.125). Applications in the educational settings include examples in both the expository presentations and the inquisitory presentations which address the response expectation for the learner. A generality (instance) can be presented in an expository way which would involve telling or showing the learner. Two examples of expository presentations are interactive demonstrations and experiential environments. During interactive demonstrations, the learner can manipulate objects in the manner required by the problem provides them with the experience needed to help them better understand the problem. An example of this application would be word problems in arithmetic. An example of experiential environments the microworld, which allows learners to explore and learn principles. Examples of this application could be in geometry, computer programming and science. The inquisitory presentation also known as practice would expect the learner to complete a statement or apply knowledge to a specific case. In other words, the learner is ‘doing’ something. In this type of presentation, the interaction should be as mimic the task being taught as is practical and possible. Two examples of practice that engage learners are editing and assembling. Editing allows learners to analyze and modify information. An example of editing would be in English or English literature where learners are proofreading passages or applying punctuation to paragraphs. Assembling allows learners to put together different component parts. For example, constructing an electrical circuit in physics class (Merrill, 1994). Both the expository and inquisitory presentations involve transactions that require learners to be active participants. It is also important to remember “different kinds of content require different manifestations of the four primary presentation forms” (Merrill, 1994, p.122).

'''Anticipated Outcomes of Component Display Theory '''

A lesson structured using the Component Display Theory should have an objective, followed by a unique combination of primary and secondary presentation forms that will provide the best learning experience for the learner. These presentation forms include a combination of the rules, examples, recall, feedback, practice, helps and mnemonics that are appropriate for the subject and learning outcomes. Utilizing the primary and secondary presentation forms allow learners to take control of their own instruction by allowing them to adapt content, select instructional strategies that deliver the content and select the number of practice items that they receive. The use of the objective further helps instructional designers to facilitate the conditions necessary for learning. The learning objectives have been summarized using the mnemonic ABCD which stand for audience, behaviour, conditions and degree, and are fundamental to performance objective writing. Objective writing allows the designer to plan out the content and performance activities by defining the learner outcomes. Motivation for learners comes not from lesson activities that are exciting or attention-getting, but rather from their ability to perform a task that they were not able to do before. Real learning takes place when instructional designers implement the basic principles of the Component Display Theory: instruction will be more effective if the three primary performance forms are present; explanatory or inquisitory learning strategies can be used to present the primary forms; learners are given the opportunity to obtain knowledge through their own preferred style (Culatta, 2018). Learning becomes more effective when learners do what they are learning and in the context of a real-world problem. Instruction is designed to guide and promote mental processes in the learner and in order to assess whether processing is taking place, the objectives must be measurable and achievable, and the learning conditions should be continually assessed. These ideas are what the Component Display Theory seeks to develop in instructional designers.

References

Culatta, Richard. (2018). Component Display Theory (David Merrill). Retrieved from: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/component-display/

Merrill, David M. (1994). Chapter 7: The Descriptive Component Display Theory. Retrieved from: http://mdavidmerrill.com/Papers/Chapter7.pdf.

Merrill, David M. (1994). Chapter 9: Lesson Segments Based on Component Display Theory. Retrieved from: http://mdavidmerrill.com/Papers/Chapter9.pdf.

Merrill, David M. (2017). Resume. Retrieved from: http://mdavidmerrill.com/Resume/resume.htm.

Pappas, Christopher. (2015). Instructional Design Models and Theories: The Component Display Theory. Retrieved from: https://elearningindustry.com/component-display-theory