Instructional Design For Dummies

Chapter 12

Ten Best Practices for Creating Engaging Instruction

IN THIS CHAPTER

Identifying common best practices for actively engaging your learners

Moving beyond “telling” information to activities that promote active learning

Designing different types of activities to sustain interest and participation

The chapters in this book have covered a variety of tips, models, and strategies for creating successful instructional designs. It is important to underscore that there is no single best technique that we can apply as designers to make our instruction optimally engaging. The ultimate effectiveness of our instruction depends on the design decisions that we make during the different phases of the ADDIE process and how well aligned they are. Asking which instructional design strategy is best is like asking what type of tool is best for all home improvement projects! There is no single best instructional technique for all situations.

However, with this in mind, this chapter synthesizes some common best practices for creating instruction that encourages learners to actively engage, participate in, talk about, and process what they are learning. Each of the following best practices ...