Instructional Systems
From the perspective of an instructional designer, any undertaking that includes a
learner and the subject matter necessary to learn requires an instructional system.
Instructional designers need inputs (subject matter and resources), a process (ISD),
and outputs (curriculum and materials) to build a training course. This combination
of elements is called an instructional system.
ADDIE Model
The ADDIE model or some derivative of it provides designers with the necessary
structure for designing any curriculum, regardless of the instructional methods
employed. Anything from classroom lecture to distance learning starts and ends
with the same fundamentals—the ADDIE model.
In the ADDIE model, analysis is the input for the system; design, development,
and evaluation are the processes; and implementation is the output. These elements
overlap somewhat, depending on the project, and because the system is dynamic,
there will be some sharing of duties. This book examines in depth each of the five elements
of the ADDIE model, which are described briefly in the following sections.
Analysis
Analysis is the data-gathering element of instructional design. Here, instructional
designers assemble all the information they can possibly gather about the project
before they consider anything else. Decisions about every aspect of the project
must eventually be made. The information that instructional designers gather at
this stage will be put to use throughout the system, so it is necessary that they have
every scrap of data to ensure the design will be successful.
Design
Design is the blueprinting stage of instructional systems during which instructional
designers create the blueprint for a project with all the specifications necessary to
complete the project. During this stage, instructional designers write the objectives,
construct course content, and complete the design plan.
Development
Materials production and pilot testing are the hallmarks of development. At this
stage, most nondesigners begin to see progress. Everything from lecture notes to
virtual reality is brought from design to deliverable.
Before instructional designers move from development to implementation, it is
wise for them to do pilot testing to ensure that deliverables do not have to be redeveloped.
Because of the time and expense involved, no one wants to reprint manuals or
recode a technology-based project after a project goes into implementation. The pilot
testing process allows organizations to implement any necessary changes in the project
before the expenses associated with materials development are realized. The time and
effort expended in pilot testing are well worth the effort, for this reason alone. Pilot testing
also helps designers feel confident that what they have designed works.
Implementation
The most familiar of the elements is implementation. At implementation, the design
plan meets the learner, and the content is delivered. The evaluation process that
most designers and learners are familiar with takes place in this element. Evaluation
is used to gauge the degree to which learners meet objectives and facilitators or technologies.
Evaluation
Evaluation doesn’t deserve to be listed last in the ADDIE model because it takes
place in every element and surrounds the instructional design process. Evaluation
is a constant guard at the gate of failure.
The advantages of using an instructional system are numerous, the most
important being the ability to design projects quickly and efficiently. Nothing is
left to chance or ignored when a designer stays within the framework of the ADDIE
or other ISD models. One possible disadvantage is the necessity of a designer to be
familiar with the ISD process.
Source: ISD From the Ground Up, 4th Edition