A basic assumption of the 4C/ID model is that educational programs for complex learning can always be described in terms of four basic components, namely (a) learning tasks, (b) supportive information, (c) procedural information, and (d) part-task practice (see Figure below). Learning tasks provide the backbone of the educational program; they provide learning from varied experiences and explicitly aim at the transfer of learning. The three other components are connected to this backbone.
This report gives a concise description of the main characteristics of the 4C/ID model. It describes the four components from which competence based education is build and briefly explains how an integrated curriculum based on the four components helps to reach transfer of learning. It then describes the systematic 4C/ID design process, with a focus on the main instructional design principles that are prescribed by the model, before ending with a short discussion positioning the 4C/ID model in the field of educational sciences.
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