The development of geocapabilities has been a concern in geographical education, and the application of geospatial technologies such as geographical information systems (GIS) has been popularized in both geography and non-geography courses. However, there are still gaps in how GIS courses could be designed to promote students' geocapabilities. In order to facilitate GIS teaching and learning rooted in educational theory, we designed a course on story maps based on the First Principles of Instruction. We examine students' perceptions of learning experiences and geocapabilities through two rounds of course delivery and student survey. According to student feedback and instructor ratings, the designed course activities supported their learning of subject content and developed both of their geography-related and general skills. However, the objective for the development of geocapabilities was found to be too broad or vague for students. We discuss the application of First Principles of Instruction, the relevance of considering geocapabilities, and the implication of the study findings for GIS pedagogy.