Design

The ADDIE Model is one of the most popular instructional design models, consisting of five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (University of Washington - Bothell, 2023). In the first stage of this model, Analysis, the instructional problem is clarified; the instructional goals and objectives are devised, and the learners’ needs, as well as their learning environment, are identified. The Design phase, a systematic approach, informs how the learning content and activities are organized and presented. The Development phase entails the creation of instructional materials and activities, including lesson plans and assessments, as well as the selection of appropriate instructional media for the learning context. The fourth stage, Implementation, involves the training of the facilitators on delivery methods, organization of learning content, and the creation of assessments. Finally, the Evaluation stage is a reflection of the instructional design process as a whole, determining the success of the program in following set objectives and the acquisition of students’ expected learning outcomes.

Informed by various pedagogical theories developed by educational psychologists including Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky, the constructivist theory assumes that learners participate actively in the learning process and that they build new knowledge from their experiences on top of their prior knowledge, mending these new ideas into their experiences (Kurt, 2021). It also assumes that learning is a social process as collaboration and interaction with others is vital in constructing knowledge. Additionally, learning is an active process that requires students to actively participate in discussions and activities in order to construct knowledge (Kurt, 2021). Constructivist learning theories also underscore the importance of motivation in improving how learners learn as they reflect on their prior experiences and knowledge. 

Four key ideas determine the success of a constructivist approach in a learning environment, wrote Kurt (2021). Firstly, the instructor acts as a “facilitator” rather than merely a “director”, and that both the instructor and the learners share authority and responsibility. Learning takes place in small groups, and lastly, the instructor and the learners exchange ideas. In this case, the enrolled students in the upcoming urban gardening education program may share “best practices” in gardening in a similar way the facilitators teach these students novel techniques in farming, such as hydroponics and vertical gardening.

Devised by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding by Design (UbD) is a learner-centered pedagogical approach that seeks to enhance the students’ learning experience through “backwards design” (Bowen, 2017). Whereas “forward design”, which is a feature in most instructional design models, considers the development of learning content and activities and then attempts to connect them to the set learning objectives, “backwards design” considers the learning goals, objectives, and the desired learning outcomes first.

According to Wiggins and McTighe (2005), the three stages of “backwards design” are as follows: (1) identify the desired learning outcomes by considering the learning goals, examine existing curricular standards, and review what is expected in the curriculum; (2) determine whether or not the target learners have achieved the expected learning outcomes through “performance tasks” and other assessments; and (3) plan learning experiences and instruction through transfer of learning, meaning-making, and association. “Backwards design”, Wiggins and McTighe (2005) wrote, helps prevent the “twin sins” of instructional design – “activity-focused” and “coverage-focused” teaching, both of which do not provide sufficient answers to key questions of effective learning,

However, it must be recognized that the specifics of instructional planning, including teaching methods and the structure of learning content, may only be accomplished once the required learning goals are established. (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).