Do instructional design (ID) models help us to create better learning content? Or are they over-complicated, rigid processes that promise more than they deliver? Should we adopt a model unquestioningly or adjust it to our situation and organisation?
There is a lot to think about when creating learning content. ID models claim to breakdown the complexity and show us the creator’s suggested path through it, in stages that a team can follow. We just have to hope that the creator knows where to take us.
In this series of posts I will introduce you to three of the most established ID models, namely:
- ADDIE: A sequential process that, in its classic form, gives you only one shot at meeting everyone’s needs and expectations.
- Rapid Prototyping: A flexible but less defined process of creating multiple prototypes to test and learn as you go.
- Successive Approximation Model (SAM): A more structured form of rapid prototyping.
Which is right for you depends on the nature of your project, the culture of your organisation and your appetite for managing complexity.
Let’s begin by learning about the model which almost all proceeding models are based on, ADDIE.