4C-ID Model

The 4C-ID instructional model is characterized by four components:
  1. Learning Tasks
  2. Supportive Information
  3. Procedural Information
  4. Part-Task Practice
The tasks are sequentially ordered according to task difficulty and are to be performed by learners in simulated or real task environments. The learning sequence offers ample initial scaffolding for each task, and the level of support diminishes as the learner progresses.

Task complexity increases as the learner progresses, but with each level of complexity comes additional supportive information from the instructional environment. This enables the learner to navigate through the increasingly complex ordeal, supported by the learner's own increasing skill set and augmented by just-in-time external supports from the learning environment.

The suite of tasks will confront learners with the overall complex skill requirements. The learner's goal is to solve a complex problem or to complete a complex set of procedures without assistance. The designer's goal is to correctly identify the skill requirements and to provide an authentic set of tasks that will match those requirements.

van Merriënboer, J.J.G (1997). Training complex cognitive skills: A four-component instructional design model for technical training. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications

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