PART TASK AND WHOLE TASK AS ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO DEVELOP INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Abstract

Part-task and whole-task instructions are alternative approaches in the field of Educational Technology. Part task is atomistic approach focusing on decomposing complex domain knowledge into skill components, whereas whole-task is a holistic approach in which complex contents and tasks are analyzed in the coherence and are taught from their simplest version towards increasingly more complex versions. Whole-task is designed to prepare learners to be flexible in adapting themselves to the new problem and situations. Several studies have found that part-task approach is not suitable for learning complex cognitive skills, due to the existence of many constituent skills. Whole-task models are better suited to learning to coordinate component skills and are preferred for tasks with a high level of organization. To deal with task complexity, simplification of the whole task and giving learnerssupport and guidance are useful approaches.