As instructional designers, we put very high importance on the existing models before we begin developing our own materials. These models are a representation about what to take place throughout the process of developing new instructional materials. In this post, I am going to discuss the most common and considered to be the model of other ISD Models.
As soon as you begin to start researching about ISD Model or Instructional System Design Model you will discover that there are many but the one that will stand out as the basis of other ISD Models is the ADDIE Model. The ADDIE model stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Let’s go ahead and talk about what happens each phase of the ADDIE Model.
ANALYSIS
This is the phase where we gather data and information that will allow us to pinpoint the instructional objectives, or what is the lesson we need to teach, what types of learner are we dealing with and an analysis or accurate description of the overall learning environment where we are going to use the educational material we are designing for. That means, we need to figure out our audience, or what type of students do we have also considering their learning styles and their background in relations to learning. We need to fully analyze what’s the classroom like, how conducive it is for learning, we have to put into account also the existing condition of the room, and if there are available facilities and technologies that can be utilized in relation to the instructional material that you are trying to come up with. For example, if your material is an online app, you need to make sure first that the classroom has facilities such as tablets, and a reliable internet connection.
DESIGN
The second phase of the ADDIE model. This is the stage where we now actually write the specific learning objectives based on the information and all consideration that we are able to gather during the ANALYSIS phase. The idea is to ensure that whatever instructional objectives we write, it should always be parallel and align to our content. The tasks for our audience are drafted during this phase. It is during this stage where we actually create the project and design in parallel with the data accumulated during the first stage of the ADDIE model. In designing, we include all the learning activities that we are going to give to our learners, properly broken down into a sequence in order to achieve the goals we have set in the ANALYSIS. For example, during the analysis we are able to identify that some of our students do not have the skill to use the technology that is required for them to use the instructional material, then we must come up with a way for them to be able to grasp the content despite this barrier.
DEVELOPMENT
This is where we establish the blueprint. We reach this stage if we now starting to develop the actual instructional material based on the analysis and design. If we are designing printed material, this is where we start creating the layout. If we are creating software, this is where we start to write the program. If there are other technologies that are going to be used to support the materials, this is the period where we need to test those technologies and debug them to ensure that we will be able to conduct a successful implementation. Creating a backup plan is necessary if technology fails when implemented. The way the material is developed is in conjunction with all the data and information we have during the analysis and design stage.
IMPLEMENTATION
When your material is completed, it is now time to use it. As instructional designers, this is our opportunity to test how effective the material in teaching or instruction. Though we planned well during the first phases of the ADDIE Model, it is during the implementation that we might discover more opportunities on how we can improve more on the design of the material.
EVALUATION
Just like the traditional way of teaching a lesson in the classroom we reach the evaluation part and it is usually through formative and summative assessment. In instructional design, we focus on the material being able to achieve the desired goals. And if we are able to uncover some areas in the design that are not contributive to our goals during the evaluation, this will give us an opportunity to redesign the material. In practice of the ADDIE Model, it is not necessary to complete first all the phases before redesigning the material, if we are able to pinpoint some areas that we can improve on as we go through with each process we can correct it right away on that phase. As designers, we can assess each phase and make any correction if there is any prompt of mistakes or error in the design of that particular phase. This is true in the development of computer applications, developers usually uncover opportunities for improvement in the system even if the system is not yet completed.
