Professor of Instructional Systems, Florida State University
Walter W. (Walt) Wager is Professor Emeritus of Instructional Systems in the Department of Educational Psychology & Learning Systems at Florida State University (FSU). He is widely associated with work extending and teaching Robert Gagné’s Events of Instruction and is a co‑author of Principles of Instructional Design (4th and 5th eds.). He specialized in instructional design for computer‑based instruction and electronic performance systems and also served as Coordinator of Instructional Services in FSU’s Office for Distance and Distributed Learning. He earned the EdD at Indiana University (dissertation on sequencing curricula), advised and directed dissertations through the 2000s, and retired from FSU in 2002. Key publications include the instructional design text with Gagné, and the Handbook of Procedures for the Design of Instruction (with Leslie J. Briggs). citeturn22search4turn12search6turn10search1turn1search2turn15search0turn11search1turn2search2turn19search3
Journal of Instructional Development • Journal
Surveys research and theory to propose guidelines for how computer‑assisted instruction should pose questions, process learner responses, and deliver informative feedback. Distinguishes formatting guidelines that exploit the medium from psychological guidelines rooted in learning research, arguing both are necessary for effective instructional software.
Cengage Learning (Thomson/Wadsworth) • Book
Comprehensive instructional‐design text that integrates cognitive and information‑processing perspectives to guide analysis, sequencing, and delivery of instruction. The 5th edition updates Gagné’s events of instruction, expands attention to learner‑centered principles, technology affordances, online learning, and social/cultural contexts, and provides systematic procedures for objectives, task analysis, sequencing, assessment, and evaluation.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers • Book
Fourth edition of a foundational text that presents a rational, research‑based approach to designing instruction. It outlines outcomes of learning, analyzes task requirements, specifies performance objectives, and details the nine events of instruction with guidance for media selection, lesson design, assessment, and evaluation.
Brookline Books • Book
A hands‑on guide aimed at K–12 teachers that introduces classroom computer integration. It covers fundamentals of computer‑assisted instruction, planning and managing computer use, selecting software, designing activities aligned to objectives, and practical tips for assessment and classroom management with computers.
In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Instructional Designs for Microcomputer Courseware (Taylor & Francis/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) • Chapter
Argues that the design decisions for computer‑aided instruction parallel those for other media, but should leverage the distinctive capabilities of computers. Provides a structured design approach—from analysis and objectives to sequencing, interactions, and feedback—so CAI takes full advantage of the medium to support learning.
Educational Technology Publications • Book
Practice‑oriented handbook that systematizes steps for instructional systems design, including specifying objectives, constructing and validating tests, aligning instruction to types of learning, media selection and scripting, formative evaluation, and implementation procedures. The second edition updates tools, exemplars, and checklists to support course and curriculum design.