“Bob was a giant even among the giants in the learning and development field. His writing and ideas were clear, crisp, and personal, making them important, powerful, and enduring,” said Will Thalheimer, a learning expert, researcher, instructional designer, business strategist, speaker, and writer. “We, as learning professionals, owe a debt to Bob for providing a clear set of principles and practices. For those of us who look to communicate as thought leaders within the learning field, Bob Mager should be always our guiding light.”
He is best known for his Criterion Referenced Instruction (CRI) framework, which is a comprehensive set of methods for the design and delivery of training programs. Some of the critical aspects include:
- goal or task analysis
- performance objectives
- criterion referenced testing
- development of learning modules tied to specific objectives.
Many in the human resources and training fields considered him the father of objective-based instruction. His 1962 book, Preparing Instructional Objectives sold more than 1 million copies and was translated into more than 12 languages. In the preface of the book, he writes, “Before you prepare instruction, before you choose material, machine, or method, it is important to be able to state clearly what your goals are.”
Mager received the Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development Award in 1991 from the American Society for Training and Development (now the Association for Talent Development). The awards booklet highlighted his value to the profession, pointing to a 1984 survey of human resource professionals that selected him as the most respected leader in the training and development field. It also noted that in a 1988 poll of his peers, Mager was selected as the most influential individual in the field of instructional technology.
“Bob was a professional giant, renaissance man, and gentleman. His first and second editions of Preparing Instructional Objectives set the standard for formulating and delivering effective training competencies that were purpose-driven and evaluatable,” explained Roger Kaufman, professor emeritus, Florida State University. “With Peter Pipe, his criterion referenced instruction—the Mager Workshops—have become the gold standard for delivering skilled training and development professionals. Bob leaves a huge, indelible footprint on our profession and on all those he directly and indirectly influenced.”
He was one of the founders of the National Society for Performance Improvement (NSPI, now ISPI), and through his training, he touched the lives of millions of people, including Elaine Biech, author, consultant, trainer, and president of ebb associates.
“Robert Mager was one of those rare souls who was both brilliant and charismatic, wise, and witty,” she said. “I am a self-taught trainer/facilitator, and Robert was one of the first gurus that I studied to better understand the profession. We connected over a love for the profession, a passion for writing, and a shared sense of humor.
“After reading all the books and articles he had written, I wrote to him and he responded with an invitation to meet him for lunch at an ASTD Conference,” Biech added. “Another time we chatted about his How to Write a Book book, and he encouraged me to write practical content for readers. Bob confirmed his wit and wisdom at each of these encounters.
“I learned something new each time we met,” Biech explained. “We all know Bob for his standards for writing objectives and criterion-referenced instruction; but did you also know that he was a ventriloquist, played the banjo, rode a unicycle, and was a certified locksmith? He also wrote more than a dozen nonfiction books, and most recently, close to a dozen fiction books. Bob was one of the respected gurus who helped me make sense of a profession that I didn’t know existed until I was already waist deep in it.”
Mager’s legacy will continue, and the respect for him and his work was evident through the comments that flooded tributes on LinkedIn, with many calling him a legend, true pioneer, and an inspiration. And others felt a strong will to “carry on his work.”
