The A.D.D.I.E. Instructional Design Model

A.D.D.I.E.  is a common model of instructional design that consists of 5 basic steps. This model is linear, so steps are followed in order until all steps have been completed. However, some practitioners may go back and repeat steps if needed; and the entire model may be repeated in multiple iterations if the desired outcomes are not met or requirements change.

The first step is Analysis. In this stage, you must analyze the situation, usually beginning with the performance or knowledge gap. This is a critical step - before you start designing training, you must first identify the issue and determine that training is actually the correct solution to address the issue. Although many people default to training as an answer for all performance gaps, the reality is that there are a lot of other things that affect performance that are not training-related such as culture, environmental conditions, attitudes, and many other factors. Those are beyond the scope of this article, so we will explore those in a future post. In evaluating the performance gap, an important element is to identify the desired performance level, and how it will be measured. If the employee builds widgets, what does the desired performance look like? Although the default assumption is that they know how to build a widget after they complete the training, is there a productivity or time element? For example, is the training  successful if they can build a widget, but it takes them an entire shift to do it, or do they need to build a certain amount per hour? What about a quality element? Can they meet the aforementioned throughput rate with with any level of quality, or should they produce fewer than a certain number of quality defects? What about cost? Do they need to meet the throughput and quality goals while keeping waste below a certain amount? You can see where this is going...a performance standard must be fully identified before developing the training. This is important for two primary reasons. First, we have to know the outcomes of the training before we can design it. Second, we need to know how to measure the effectiveness of the training and audience performance when we get to the evaluation step.

Other things to identify in this phase include: 

• Who is the target audience? What are their differences, and what do they have in common? What characteristics do they have that will influence the training design? (such as language/nationality, experience, education level, etc.)
• Who are the stakeholders on this project?
• What resources will this project require, and what are available?
• What is the timeline for this training?
• What are the delivery options and constraints?
  
  

The second step is design. Using the information gathered in the analysis phase, you will begin designing the training using instructional strategies and principles. This includes items such as identifying the type and delivery method of the training; developing documentation, scripts or storyboards for the training; creating a user experience strategy; and identifying or designing exercises and activities that will support the desired outcome from the training. It is also important to not forget elements such as assessments and feedback in the lesson plan. These items will be important when we get to the evaluation phase. Assessments allow us to see how well the audience is learning the material; feedback will allow us to get their input and opinions on the training.



The third step is develop. Now that the design is complete, you must actually gather or build the content assets for the training. This may include developing presentations, audio, visual, or multimedia content; programming for computer-based training; documentation that is provided to students such as books or handouts; instructor manuals; and any other asset required to deliver the training. Assets may also include any props, trainers, or other equipment that are being used in the training.



The fourth step is implement. Implementation means actually executing on the training plan and delivering the training. However, there may be multiple prerequisites before delivering the training to the audience, such as training the trainers or instructors who will be delivering the training materials. It may also require deploying the assets or training materials to electronic delivery systems such as a learning managment system. If this delivery method is new to the audience, it may also include a strategy to train the audience on how to use the new system or providing proctors to assist them. 




The fifth and final step is evaluate. While some level of evaluation should be occurring at each step of this model, this is the stage where a summative evaluation of the entire strategy and training is completed. Feedback from the audience is one element of this evaluation, but the more important factors are the performance measurement metrics that were identified in the analysis stage. These measurable objectives established in the analysis stage will now be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the training. It is not unusual to repeat the entire process again at this point, addresssing any shortcomings or gaps that were not resolved with the initial design.


Resources:
Andrews, D.H., & Goodson, L.A. (1980). A comparative analysis of models of instructional design. Journal of Instructional Development, 3 :4, 2-16.

Gentry, C.G. (1994). Introduction to instructional development. Belmont: Wadsworth. Grafinger, D.J. (1988). Basics of instructional systems development. INFO-LINE Issue 8803. Alexandria: American Society for Training and Development.

Gustafson, K.L. (1994). Instructional design models. In T.Husen & T.N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of education (2nd ed.). Oxford: Pergamon.

Gustafson, K.L., & Branch, R.M. (1997). Survey of instructional development models. Syracuse: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology.