DESIGN

Instructional design encompasses a process wherein we make considerations about learners in order to design, develop, and deliver learning experiences through educational products. These products may manifest themselves as online instructional units, technical manuals, multimedia tutorials, simulations or a host of other mechanisms with an emphasis on learning. As instructional designers, we embody a unique role reflective of educational architects. This means that we are crafting and directing learning experiences with a sense of purpose grounded in instructional design theory.

An instructional designer is somebody who applies a systematic methodology based on instructional theory to create content for learning events. As previously cited, the role of an instructional designer should be that of an educational architect or facilitator. He or she must be one that is skilled in the identification of skills, knowledge, information and attitude gaps of a targeted audience. They must also be able to craft and personalize learning experiences in efforts to minimize learning gaps by relying on learning theories and best practices from the field.

While not the most conventional instructional design model, I feel that Gagne's 9 Events of Learning does exalt some important considerations concerning how people learn through the process of instruction. This is a model that breaks down learning into 9 distinct stages or events. Each of these events are linear and every successive stage complements the next. I personally rank this model highly on account of my role as an educational practitioner. I feel that teachers in the field have a solid understanding of these events and they are naturally suited to educational environments.

The ADDIE Model is perhaps the most referenced model in instructional design. Its acronym stands for: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Originally developed for the military, ADDIE denotes a straightforward, linear structure with visual simplicity. You are introduced to a sequence and follow each stage through to completion. Though many people typically consider ADDIE to have a top-down or waterfall format (meaning that it has a linear structure), cyclical and spider-web adaptations to the model have been developed wherein portions can be reworked at various stages.

However, the ADDIE Model is quite labor intensive and warrants considerable scope and sequence in planning. It relies heavily on documentation across the various stages. However, this could introduce problems for designers later on. I feel that if a problem arises in ADDIE, designers might be tempted to ignore issues on account of the effort that has already been invested into the process. That is not to say that ADDIE is not useful; I simply want to convey that ADDIE comes from a more antiquated time wherein standardization and long processes were common in the designing of projects (as seen with its military origins).