Complex learning aims at the integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes; the coordination of qualitatively different constituent skills, and the transfer of what is learned to daily life or work settings. New instructional design models are needed to allow for such complex learning. These models stress the integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes through the use of whole, meaningful learning tasks. They aim at integrated learning objectives and help learners to coordinate different aspects of whole tasks by scaffolding their performance. And they aim at transfer of learning by means of mathemagenic instructional methods that stimulate learners to construct general, abstract knowledge. A fundamental rethinking of traditional instructional design is necessary. In this symposium, trends in instructional design for complex learning will be discussed from four highly interrelated perspectives: (1) cognitive foundations, (2) cognitive task analysis, (3) holistic design, and (4) performance assessment. The four contributions to the symposium will be discussed by Jan Elen from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.