Overview of the Instructional Design Process

Introduction

The numerous tutorials, literature, courses, and articles I have come across while studying instructional design (ID) have made me more confused about the actual process involved in ID.

The worst of these materials, in my experience, are usually those prepared and delivered by academicians. Textbooks and courses mainly authored or facilitated by academics made instructional design appear to be too complex. By the end of the resource, I knew much about instructional design, but the knowledge was segmented and felt too cerebral and theoretical. This irritated me a bit because these supposed “instructional designers” were not effectively transferring the knowledge to me, and thus didn’t meet my expectations about the promised impact of these instructional designers.

The best overview of ID that I came across was the work of Dr. Ray Pastore of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. His ebook (which you can get for free) provides a very practical overview and discussion about ID, which I found very helpful as an aspiring instructional design expert. By the way, you can also get tons of resources from his website.

The ID Process

Paraphrasing from Dr. Pastore, the ID process can be  summarized into the following steps:

1. Front End Analysis / Performance Analysis
2. Finalize Instructional Design Model
3. Analysis of ID Aspects
4. Design of ID Solution
5. Development of ID Solution
6. Implementation of ID Solution
7. Evaluation of Effectiveness of the ID Solution

The next sections will provide a general discussion about each of these steps.

Step 1: Front End Analysis / Performance Analysis

The ID Process starts with a Front End Analysis (FEA), which is also known as a Performance Analysis.

In this step, the instructional designer investigates what the problem really is and whether ID is the solution to the problem. The instructional designer then conveys the result of the FEA to the stakeholder or project sponsor.

If the problem can be solved without resorting to ID, then that ends the ID process. The instructional designer may then be called on to assist in the formulation and execution of the solution.

However, if the FEA determines that ID is one of the solutions, then the process proceeds to step 2.

Step 2: Determination of the ID Model

If ID is one of the solutions to the problem, the next step is the finalization of what ID model to use.

There are numerous ID models available and their use will depend on factors like practicality, stakeholder preference, resource availability, and timeline, to name a few.

The most popular of the ID models is ADDIE, which is an acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Arguably, the ADDIE framework can be considered as the main or general ID model used for ID processes and all other ID models can be considered as specific ways of implementing ADDIE.

Other ID models include Successive Approximations Model (SAM), Action Mapping, Dick and Carey Model, Kemp’s ID Model, and Design Thinking, just to name a few.

I will discuss the other ID models in future posts.

Step 3:  Analysis of ID Aspects

After deciding which ID model to use, the next step is to analyze various aspects to be considered in the ID process.

Some of these aspects include those that relate to the learners (learner analysis), how learners are expected to apply their acquired knowledge or skill, the conditions the learners will be in during instruction, the current skill or knowledge level of the learners, the target skill or knowledge level of the learners by the end of instruction (gap analysis), the coverage of the content that the client wishes to cover (content analysis), and the break down of the knowledge and/or skills that the learners need to acquire (task analysis).

The result of the various kinds of analyses is crucial since it will guide the succeeding phases of the ID. It will also be important to seek approval of the analysis from the deciding stakeholders so that they can get a clear picture of the whole ID. Having the deciding stakeholders acquire a realistic overview of the amount of work that is required, the cost, the potential result of the solution, and the timeframe may help avoid unrealistic expectations and unnecessary additions to the scope of the ID.

Step 4: Design of the ID Solution

After the analysis is completed and approved, the next step is the design of the ID product to solve the problem identified during the FEA.

Some of the activities included in this step are the establishment of the learning objectives/outcomes, design of the teaching and learning activities, design of diagnostic assessments, design of the formative and summative assessments, finalization of instructional strategies to utilize, and the creation of storyboards.

As in the previous step, it is also important to get approval from the deciding stakeholders to manage their expectations so they can visualize how the final ID product will look.

Step 5: Development of the ID Solution

In this step, the instructional designer finally implements the approved results of step 4. The solutions produced at this stage include presentations (e.g. PowerPoint slides, e-learning programs), videos, audio, instructor and learner manuals, final storyboards, authoring, LMSs, webpages, documents, and images.

In developing ID solutions, it is important to be familiar with and adhere to relevant development strategies. For ID solutions that are classified as “multimedia” (i.e. a combination of images, text, audio, and video) the instructional designer may use Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Learning. Another consideration is the principle of inclusivity, where we do our best to make the solution accessible to learners who may have special needs like vision impairments or auditory challenges.

Another consideration during the development of solutions is user experience and user interface (UX/UI). Focusing on UX/UI may improve the effectiveness of the learning process and improve the overall satisfaction of clients and stakeholders.

This step may also include alpha and beta testing the final version of the solutions before proceeding to the next step of the ID process.

Step 6: Implementation of the ID Solution

In this step, the developed solutions in Step 5 are now rolled out to the end users. This could take the form of trainers providing synchronous, face-to-face, remote, or hybrid instruction. The solution may be an asynchronous e-learning program installed in an LMS. It may also involve training trainers who will be tasked to later on train the final end-user of the ID products.

Step 7: Evaluation of Effectiveness of the ID Solution

Finally, the last step is the evaluation of the degree of effectiveness of the ID solution. There are many aspects that instructional designers can evaluate, which may include the level of knowledge or skill attainment of the learners, the difference in knowledge or skill level at the beginning and by the end of the instruction, return-on-investment, cost, attainment of the learning objectives/outcomes, attainment of the ID project objectives, satisfaction of the stakeholders, and the impact of the acquired knowledge or skills.

Evaluations are performed for various reasons like quantification of the effectiveness of the ID solution, continuous quality improvement, and accountability of the ID team/instructional designer.

Conclusion

Utilizing ID to solve a problem involves several steps. These steps may vary, but generally follow the pattern used in the ADDIE framework. The knowledge of the general steps of performing ID may serve as a guide for instructional designers who have not yet fully grasped the overview of the whole ID process.