Selecting a development framework

Going into any project, determining its scope and final form is a challenge. When we create videos with faculty, for example, there are many initial questions to answer about how many videos there will be, what content they will cover, and the production method. Some videos will require extensive animation, for example. Others might require careful coordination with interview subjects and external locations. But they all follow the same, high-level progression: “Pre-production,” “Production,” and “Post-production.”

Interactive content is even more complex to scope thanks to the many formats it may have. Depending on the format and delivery method, even the development process may change entirely.

Some formats will resemble traditional media production, in which content is carefully planned upfront and then that plan is executed. This process is more linear and it is far harder to change course once work is underway, but it may be necessary for projects that require a lot of resources and the careful coordination of many team members.

Other projects are smaller, more iterative and dynamic. They can involve major revisions based on testing and feedback on drafts and prototypes.

In order to be clear about the projects’ needs, we will normally adopt a formal development framework to guide our work. A few common frameworks include:

• ADDIE - ADDIE, which stands for “Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate”, is commonly used for full course designs or other large-scale projects that require a lot of upfront development before the complete project is deployed for students. One challenge of this framework is the scale of planning. It can be hard for partners to visualize the completed work (which may include videos, assignments, interactive modules and text, all carefully sequenced) while working exclusively in planning documents (such as scripts, storyboards, and unformatted drafts, organized as separate assets.) The framework requires close collaboration and commitment to a plan once it is developed.

• The SAM Model - The Successive Approximation Model focuses on iteration via rapid prototypes. This approach still requires careful collaboration. It can feel more satisfying because one gets to see results more quickly, and it can also result in more refined interactions because of the multiple rounds of feedback. But it requires that project goals be carefully defined to avoid issues like scope creep, and it is not as suitable for large-scale projects where multiple complementary parts need to fit together.

• Design thinking - Design thinking is a framework used in a number of fields, including instructional design. Its key stages are “Clarify, Ideate, Develop, and Implement.” Its greater emphasis on initial, student-centered ideation makes it a useful framework for design problems that are more open-ended or for which there are not already well-established solutions. But that very openness means it may not suit projects where the goals are already clear or which have tight deadlines. 

The following checklist provides some of the questions we’ll ask to assess which framework makes the most sense for a given project. 

Once a framework has been identified, it provides a roadmap to identify important milestones a develop a fully formed project plan.