AM Last Page

AM Last Page: Robert Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction, Revisited

Mohamed M. Al-Eraky, MBBCh, MSc, MMEd, is a lecturer of medical education, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

In 1965, Robert Gagné published The Conditions of Learning, which identified the mental conditions for learning. These were based
on the information processing model of the mental events that occur when adults are presented with various stimuli.1

Event 2,3 A practical example in bedside teaching

Start with a quiz, statistic, question, famous quote, or multimedia

1. Gain attention presentation that is pertinent to the case of day.

2. Announce objectives List and/or negotiate expectations of the day’s lesson.

3. Stimulate recall of Connect the case to prior, relevant knowledge from the basic
prerequisite knowledge sciences (e.g., anatomy, physiology, pathology) to provide a
framework for learning and transfer.
4. Present content
Demonstrate how to examine the patient.
5. Provide guidance
Use chunking, metaphors, mnemonics, rehearsal, and/or encoding
to help students organize the presented content.
6. Elicit performance
Give learners an opportunity to practice.
7. Provide feedback
Offer comments about the student’s performance.
8. Assess performance
Check learning progress as per the announced objectives.

9. Enhance retention Put the learner in a transfer situation (i.e., involve him/her
and transfer in a similar case). Discuss similar signs and differential diagnoses.

10. Suggest resources*

Suggest further learning opportunities (e.g., links, articles,
e-learning modules, multimedia resources, skill labs).
11. Discussion*
* Steps #10 and #11 were proposed by the author.

Functional grouping of events in three clusters Chronological sorting of events in a 60-minute lesson

1 Gain attention 6 Elicit performance

2 Announce objectives
4 Present content
5 Provide guidance
Information
7 Provide feedback
8 Assess performance
11 Discussion 1 Gain attention 4 Present Content 8 Assess performance
2 Announce objectives 5 Provide guidance 9 Enhance retention
3 Stimulate recall of 6 Elicit performance and transfer
prerequisite knowledge 7 Provide feedback 10 Suggest resources
Activities
11 Discussion

Set Body Close

Management of learning

3 Stimulate recall of
prerequisite knowledge
9 Enhance retention
and transfer
10 Suggest resources

References

1. Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction. Available at: http://de.ryerson.ca/portals/de/assets/resources/Gagne’s_Nine_Events.pdf. Accessed January 6, 2012.
2. Driscoll M. Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 2nd edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon; 2000.

3. Gagné RM, Briggs LJ, Wager WW. Principles of Instructional Design, 4th edition. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers; 1992.

Academic Medicine, Vol. 87, No. 5 / May 2012 677