ABSTRACT
Over thepast 30 years, attentionhas gradually shifted from investigating the effects of the external, physical form of instruction to examining the internal processes of learning that are stimulated or induced by external stimuli. As a result, models and prescriptions for learning are founded on theoretical and empirical evidence about cognitive functioning, processes, and structure of memory. Using a learning foundation, designers develop a conception of the thinking that occurs within the learner and use this conception to guide the design of environments for learning. Instructional and learning environments both contain information; the key difference is who does what with that information. In a learning environment, the learners and their learning processes, styles, and goals take on prime importance. In an instructional environment, the roles of the learner and the instructor or designer are reversed. A learning environment is not devoid of instruction or an instructor, but rather the external stimuli simply take on a secondary role. In an instructional environment, the materials provided for the learners take on prime importance, with the assumption that learner characteristics have been taken into account and the belief that material design and presentation can affect learning.
