Interactivity or instruction? a reaction to Merrill

The models for designing instruction that we have traditionally used are based on or otherwise reflect Gagne's work. These models, called "first generation instructional design" (IDj) by Merrill and his colleagues Zhongmin Li and Mark Jones (1990a) show, however, a number of shortcomings. Among the shortcomings observed by Merrill and his colleagues is that they are out of date. That is to say, new technologies make possible certain forms of interactive education procedures. For these kinds of educational procedures the traditional IDx models are not sufficient. ID2 models should integrate instruction with these "interactive, technology-based delivery systems" (p. 8). As part of Merrill and his colleagues' proposal, which cannot be welcomed toó much, we would expect, however, at least two theoretical expositions: A new definition of "instruction," and the other, a concise description of "interaction".