In psychology and education, learning theories are attempts to describe how people and animals learn. These theories are an attempt to help us understand the inherently complex process of learning.

There are three main categories (philosophical frameworks) under which learning theories fall: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. In this section, the focus is upon understanding the practical aspects of learning theory and how, by understanding them, the instructional designer is able to use them in designing and delivering content.

IDOL (instructional design for online learning) exploits learning theory to create optimal learning conditions and assess the impact of the learner's experience. So rather than being academic, the material here is pragmatic and articulated from a narrow perspective.