An instructional theory is "a theory that offers explicit guidance on how to better help people learn and develop."[1] It provides insights about what is likely to happen and why with respect to different kinds of teaching and learning activities while helping indicate approaches for their evaluation.[2] Instructional designers focus on how to best structure material and instructional behavior to facilitate learning.[3]
^Reigeluth, C.M. (1999). What is instructional design theory? In C.M. Reigeluth (Ed.) Instructional design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (Vol. 2, pp. 5-29). Manwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
^Reigeluth, Charles (2013). Instructional-design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, Volume 2. New York: Routledge. p. 669. ISBN9780805828597.
^Phillips, D.C. (2014). Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications. p. 22. ISBN9781452230894.