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Workshop Scenario:
Please think of yourself in the following scenario as you complete this workshop.
As a recent college graduate, you're enthusiastic about exploring the field of Instructional Design.
Having completed the third lesson about instructional design frameworks and theories, you’re excited to put this knowledge to practical use.
You’re now left wondering how instructional designers develop engaging and effective learning experiences through processes like the ADDIE and SAM models.
In your fourth lesson, you’ll learn about the design process and additional instructional design. Please take notes as you make your way through this workshop since you will be applying your new knowledge in a final project.
Your objective for today is to compare and contrast the ADDIE and SAM models by evaluating the pros and cons of each instructional design method.
Important Questions to Answer While Reading:
In order to be successful in this lesson, you must be able to answer these important questions.
What do the ADDIE and SAM instructional design processes have in common? In what ways do they differ?
Which elements are shared among all instructional design processes and why are these the most important?
4.1 Importance of the Instructional Design Process
Every organization has its own process for developing online training courses. Some organizations follow a linear process, while others prefer an iterative one. Some organizations prefer to work on the entire training at once, while others prefer to identify small segments within the training and develop them concurrently through collaboration.
Several factors influence an organization’s decision to follow a specific process—training requirements, client expectations, tools, development time, flexibility, complexity, budget, etc.
No matter which approaches an organization follows, a few steps remain crucial in every instructional design process. Understanding the purpose of each component will help you successfully achieve the desired output at every step, irrespective of your approach!
Let’s look deeper at two of the most commonly used design processes, ADDIE and SAM.
4.2 The ADDIE Model
The ADDIE model is a framework used in instructional design to create effective and efficient training programs. It consists of five consecutive steps: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The ADDIE model was developed in the 1970s and is considered to be the most foundational and enduring design process in the industry.
The Analysis Phase
This phase involves identifying the problem the course addresses, understanding the audience and solution, and determining the gap between the current and desired situations. This phase includes conducting a needs assessment, learner analysis, job-task analysis, and analyzing the learning environment.
The Design Phase
This phase uses the information gathered in the analysis phase to create a blueprint for the instruction. This phase includes identifying learning objectives, writing a design document, creating a storyboard, and reviewing the design.
The Development Phase
This phase involves creating instructional materials such as course materials, e-learning modules, and assessments. This phase includes developing instructional materials, writing content, creating assessments, assembling the materials, testing the materials, and reviewing the materials.
The Implementation Phase
This phase involves delivering the instruction to the learners using the materials developed in the previous phases.
The Evaluation Phase
This phase involves assessing the effectiveness of the instruction and making necessary revisions to improve its effectiveness. This phase includes collecting and analyzing evaluation data, making revisions, implementing changes, and continuously monitoring and evaluating the program.
4.3 The Successive Approximation Model (SAM)
Another of the most widely used models for instructional design is SAM, which stands for Successive Approximation Model. Compared to ADDIE, which can be linear, inflexible, and time-consuming (and therefore more costly), the SAM framework is an iterative method. This means that as each successive project component is developed, it is revised cyclically through a feedback loop before moving on to the subsequent component.
SAM allows for more adaptability during the design and development process and encourages ongoing collaboration between instructional designers, subject matter experts, and learners. SAM also emphasizes the importance of prototyping and testing, which can result in a better learner experience. The iterative nature of SAM can sometimes make the development process more complex, however, as it requires constant coordination of all stakeholders.
After thoroughly analyzing learner needs like the ADDIE model, SAM involves creating a basic prototype (alpha) version of the product, which is then reviewed and evaluated. The feedback is used to refine the product, leading to the improved beta version. This version is then reevaluated in a feedback loop, and any necessary changes are made to create the final gold version of the product.
This process of revision and refining is known as agile development, which is standard in the SAM methodology. Because SAM emphasizes rapid prototyping, the resulting deliverables are more real-world-ready because they’ve been tested and proven effective throughout the development process.
4.4 Commonalities Among Design Processes
In addition to ADDIE and SAM, there are many other instructional design models (Dick and Carey, Merrill's Principles of Instruction, Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction, etc.). Although all models differ in their specific steps and approaches, they share some important commonalities in their process.
Every instructional design model emphasizes the importance of conducting thorough analyses of the learners and their needs as the crucial first step before designing the learning materials. They also all stress the importance of setting clear learning objectives, creating learning materials that closely align with those objectives, and evaluating for efficacy once implemented.
No matter which design process you choose, high-quality instruction is always learner-centered, engaging, and effective in achieving the learning objective. Which instructional design process will you choose?
Closing Assessment:
Select the Assessment button below to answer the following questions:
Compare ADDIE and SAM. What are the pros and cons of each method?
Which elements are shared among all instructional design processes and why are these the most important?
Discussion Question:
Please answer the following question in the comment section below and interact with learners from around the world.
Which design model (ADDIE or SAM) would better fit your instructional design process? Justify your reasoning.
Please read and reply to other learners’ answers in the forum by stating if you agree or disagree with their answers and why. Your replies should offer new substantiated ideas or thoughtful questions.