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Running head: INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PRACTICES

Instructional Design Practices

Cody Azevedo

January 14, 2018

ETL 686 Designing Instructional Materials

Professor: Michael Allan Coder

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Abstract

The purpose of this short paper is to provide a detailed discussion and/or evidence of how to use

instructional design practices in building a course or unit of instruction. I’ll compare and contrast

the Systematic Design of Instruction of Dick, Carey, and Carey (2009) with the assigned

chapters in the work of Brown and Green (2011) from our class textbook, The Professional Use

of Instructional System Design. It will include my thoughts and opinions of the advantages and

disadvantages of the different instructional design systems. I will also discuss which system I

will use in my future Physical Education/Health class and why I chose that instructional design.
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E-learning is experiencing significant growth both domestically and globally. Advances

in technology has greatly improved e-learning and this has opened the door for the adult

population to continue taking college level courses. The convenience of taking courses on your

own time has allowed many people who have a family and/or work full time to continually

pursue higher education or vocational training. Online education is also growing rapidly in pre-

kindergarten through 12th grade education. There is also a big expansion of virtual schools by

state and locally-funded independent charter schools. However, online learning is not only being

used in the education sector, it also very popular in corporate America. Many businesses are

utilizing e-learning as a cost effective method to train their employees without interfering with

their normal work schedule.

Online learning is more student-centered and the instructor acts as the facilitator. The

instructor guides students through the class textbook and online content. If students are not

achieving desired outcomes and completion rates are low, then adjustments need to be made to

the instructional design. “Rather than piecemeal fixes or frustrated rationalizations, a more

productive approach is to view e-learning and indeed all purposeful teaching and learning as

systematic processes in which every component is crucial to successful learning” (Dick, Carey,

& Carey 2009, p.3).

A systematic approach can be implemented into the instructional process to ensure the

learning outcomes are met. “The components of the system are the learners, the instructor, the

instructional materials, and the learning environment, all interacting to achieve a goal” (Dick,

Carey, & Carey 2009, p.4). This reminds me of when I played football in high school. I played

running back and the goal of the offense was to score a touchdown. In order for me to score a

touchdown, the quarterback would to need to call the play, properly hand the ball off and the
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offensive line would need to block the defenders and open a hole for me to run through. All the

components of the system are interacting and working together to achieve a goal. In online

learning, all the components need to effectively work together in order for the instruction to be

effective. If the evaluation determines the system is failing, then the proper instructional

modifications can be implemented.

“Instructional design models are based, in part on many years of research on the learning

process. Each component of the model is based on theory and, in most instances, on research

demonstrating effectiveness of that component” (Dick, Carey, & Carey 2009, p.5). The

systematic design of instruction of Dick, Carey, and Carey makes the most logical sense to me.

You follow these ten basic steps: (1) Identify Instructional Goals, (2) Conduct Instructional

Analysis, (3) Analyze Learners and Contexts, (4) Write Performance Objectives, (5) Develop

Assessment Instruments, (6) Develop Instructional Strategy, (7) Develop and Select Instructional

Materials, (8) Design and Conduct Formative Evaluation of Instruction, (9) Revise Instruction,

and (10) Design and Conduct Summative Evaluation.

The Dick, Carey, and Carey model is a more traditional approach and a simplistic way to

evaluate the instruction to find out the overall effectiveness of what is being taught. I think one

of the main advantages to the systems approach is the clear focus on the instructional goals at the

beginning so that learners know what the expectations are the end of the course. Another

advantage is that the process can be easily replicated and applied across different learning

objectives. Also, if a component isn’t working, it can be easily modified. The main disadvantage

that I see in the Dick, Carey, and Carey model is the presumption that student learning can be

predictable and reliable. Also, even though the Dick, Carey, and Carey model makes sense to

me, there seems to be a lot of detail in each step to follow.

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The ADDIE model is a simple and easy to learn instructional design system. ADDIE is

an acronym that stands for the following five actions: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and

Evaluate. “ADDIE is not really a specific instructional design/development method but an

illustration of the conceptual components of an instructional design/development models”

(Brown & Green, 2011, p.58). Each phase of designing the curriculum requires the designer to

do some activities. The analysis phase requires the instructional designer to identify who is the

audience, the learning problem, goals, end objectives, audience’s needs, and a timeline. The

design phase requires the designer to determine how the learning needs are addressed, implement

appropriate instructional strategies, and determine user-interface and course content. In the

development phase, the designer has to actually build the course content, learning materials, and

make necessary modifications. In the implementation phase, the designer delivers the created

materials to the students and puts the plan into action. The final phase of the ADDIE model is

evaluation. In this phase, the designer includes feedback from the end user. Formative and

summative evaluation are the two methods used in the ADDIE model. Formative evaluation is

delivered in each phase of the ADDIE model and focuses on the process of designing

curriculum. Summative evaluation is an assessment given at the end where the focus is on the

outcome of a program.

The ADDIE model is one of the most commonly used methods of instructional design

and I think that is one of its’ main advantages. It is the foundation for many instructional design

models, it is flexible, and can be used across many platforms. Also, the formative and summative

evaluation is a key component that is built into ADDIE. I think one of the main disadvantages to

the ADDIE model is the assumption that the end user is aware of all the requirements before
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actually developing the design plan. This can make it difficult during the development stage to

make accommodations.

In conclusion, it’s apparent that each model has its own unique characteristics. The

ADDIE model has an easy step-by-step process with clear meaning and understanding in the five

phases: analysis, designing, development, implementation, and evaluation. I like how the ADDIE

model is set up to evaluate in the final phase with formative and summative evaluation, but it

may also be a detriment for improving instruction. The Dick and Carey model is a longer process

and includes much more detail. It has double the amount of phases (ten) and each phase is

executed interactively. I think the main benefit to the Dick and Carey model is that evaluations

are done in each step which allows the designer to make the proper revisions throughout each

phase. Overall, there are similarities between both the Dick and Carey and ADDIE model. I can

see how the systems approach of the Dick and Carey model has been the foundation to building

units of instruction in education and business for many decades. Even though the Dick and Carey

model requires more steps and greater detail, I more than likely would use this system for my

middle school Physical Education/Health class because of the systematic process and the clear

and measurable learning objectives.

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References
Dick W., Carey L., Carey J.O., (2009) Brown A., Green T.D. (2011). The Professional Use of
Instructional System Design. Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc.