Welcome to 4CID.org
Home of the four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model by Jeroen Van Merriënboer (1959-2023).The fourth edition is here!
Ten Steps to Complex Learning presents a path from an educational problem to a solution in a way that students, design practitioners, and researchers can understand and easily use. Students in the fields of instructional design and the learning sciences can use this book to broaden their knowledge of the design of training programs for complex learning. Practitioners can use this book as a reference guide to support their design of courses, curricula, or environments for complex learning.
Driven by the acclaimed Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) model, this fourth edition of Ten Steps to Complex Learning is fully revised with the latest research, featuring over 50 new references. The entire book has been updated for clarity, incorporating new colorful graphics and diagrams, and the guiding example used throughout the book is replaced with a training blueprint for the complex skill of “producing video content.” The closing chapter explores the future development of the Ten Steps, discussing changes in teacher roles and the influence of artificial intelligence.
The model
The 4C/ID model aims to help instructional designers develop educational programs for teaching complex skills or professional competencies. It describes educational programs as being built from four components: (1) learning tasks, (2) supportive information, (3) procedural information, and (4) part-task practice.
It nicely fits current trends in education: a focus on the development of complex skills or professional competencies, increasing transfer of what is learned in school to new situations, including the workplace, and the development of skills that are important for lifelong learning.