Robert M. Gagné

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Robert Mills Gagné (August 21, 1916– April 28, 2002) was an American educational psychologist best known for his "Conditions of Learning". Gagné pioneered the science of instruction during WWII for the air force with pilot training. Later he went on to develop a series of studies and works that helped codify what is considered to be 'good instruction' today. He also was involved in applying concepts of instructional theory to the design of computer based training and multimedia based learning.

A major contribution to the theory of instruction was the model "Nine Events of Instruction".

Gain attention
Inform learner of objectives
Stimulate recall of prior learning
Present stimulus material
Provide learner guidance
Elicit performance
Provide feedback
Assess performance
Enhance retention transfer

Gagné's work is sometimes summarized as the Gagné Assumption. The assumption is that different types of learning exist, and that different instructional conditions are most likely to bring about these different types of learning.