Robert Gagne's nine steps of instructional design provide a framework to effectively teach students new information. The nine steps are: 1) gain attention, 2) inform learners of objectives, 3) stimulate recall of prior knowledge, 4) present the content, 5) provide learning guidance, 6) elicit performance, 7) provide feedback, 8) assess performance, and 9) enhance retention and transfer. Following these steps helps ensure students are engaged, understand goals, can connect new material to existing knowledge, receive information in an organized way, get assistance and practice applying knowledge with feedback to promote learning retention and application.