Instructional Design

Amy Scott
Joint ADL Co-Laboratory

What is instructional design?

Instructional design is the systematic creation of educational courseware. In other words, it is a defined process used to determine where there is a training need, develop targeted learning to meet that need, and evaluate whether that need has been met.

Why should my organization use instructional design methodology? Why can't I just have my expert convey information to those interested?

The systematic design of instruction is a way to ensure the quality of the instruction. Many instructional programs are run by having an "expert" in the field lecture to a group of students. The quality of their experience depends on how well that “expert” can convey the content (which in some cases is not very well).

Instructional design is meant to supplement the "expert" experience. It provides a methodology and a framework to convey the content so that no matter how skilled the instructor “expert” or whether the instructor "expert" is computer or human, the students come away from the experience having learned the material.

What is the theoretical background behind instructional design?

Instructional design theory is based on the Systems process, a widely recognized methodology in the engineering fields. It is based on some fairly logical and common sense propositions. The idea is that a better product can be produced when planning and analysis occur before design.

What do instructional designers do and what is their training?

Instructional designers are education professionals who are skilled in creating courseware. They do not need to be experts in the field for which they are creating courseware, in fact it is probably better if they are not because they could then make too many assumptions about what the learner already knows. Instead, instructional designers work with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to create content for the courseware.

An instructional designer usually has an advanced degree in curriculum and instruction or instructional design and several years experience in designing instructor-led training (ILT), computer-based training (CBT), web-based training (WBT), e-learning, or advanced distributed learning (ADL).

What are the steps in instructional design process?

There are five basic steps in the instructional design process: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE).

In the Analysis Phase, the developer gains a better understanding of the goals and constraints of the project. During the analysis phase, the developer will thoroughly examine the overall curriculum and training plan of the organization, the mission, jobs, duties, and tasks driving the curriculum, the audience demographics, and the training and delivery environment.
During the Design Phase, possibilities and ideas become realities. The team thoroughly explores the content and develops the blueprint for the final courseware. The designer creates documents that lay out the course outline, objectives, instructional strategies, sample screen mock-ups, and prototypes.
In the Development Phase, the team creates all of the assets and creates the application or course. Assets are the individual pieces (graphics, animation, video, audio, photographs, text) of the program. They are essentially everything seen or heard throughout the course.
During the Implementation Phase, the course is delivered to the intended audience, whether it is live or online. Before, course delivery, the course might be acceptance and user tested and then adjustments made. Implementation also consists of creating and implementing a plan for student support.
Evaluation is the last phase of the process. Formal Evaluation tests how the students like the course, whether the students succeed in the course, how effective the course is, and the costs and benefits of the course.

At each phase, feedback is gathered and incorporated into the next phase, making the entire process iterative.

Instructional Design Terminology

See the MELD Glossary.

For Further Reading

Clark, Ruth Colvin and Richard E. Mayer. e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. Pfeiffer, 2002.

Craig, Robert L. The ASTD Training and Development Handbook: A Guide to Human Resource Development. 4th ed. McGraw-Hill Trade, 1996.

Dick, Walter O., Lou Carey, and James O. Carey. The Systematic Design of Instruction. 5 th ed. Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
This graduate-level text covers the fundamentals of the design, development, and evaluation of instruction.

Gagne, Robert M., Leslie J. Briggs, and Walter W. Wager. Principles of Instructional Design. 4th ed. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1992.

Horton, William and Katherine Horton. E-learning Tools and Technologies: A consumer's guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and instructional designers. John Wiley & Sons, 2003.

Lee, William W. and Diana L. Owens. Multimedia-Based Instructional Design: Computer-Based Training, Web-Based Training, and Distance Learning. Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2000.

Rossett, Allison. The ASTD e-Learning Handbook: Best Practices, Strategies, and Case Studies for an Emerging Field. McGraw-Hill Trade, 2000.