A Simple Guide to Instructional Design

Most companies today prefer WBT to upskill their workforce. In a survey conducted in the training industry, 84% of respondents said they use a Learning Management System for learning in their companies. Since Learning management System (LMS) usage is on the rise, there is a considerable demand for e-learning in every field, and the role of the instructional designer becomes crucial.

History of Instructional Design

Instructional design first came up during World War II. Being rooted in various schools of thought like behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism, this field continues to be studied and extensively researched today.

Prominent names to have begun the discussion and research on learning are B. F. Skinner, Robert F. Magner, and Benjamin Bloom in the 1950s. Through his article on “The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching,” Skinner discussed the instructional materials with small steps and included frequent evaluative questions and immediate feedback.

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Robert F. Magner, through his Criterion-Referenced Instruction, gave the idea of instructional objectives and how they focus on desired behaviors and help in the proper assessment. Magner was influenced by Robert Gagne, whose Nine Events of Instruction are still followed by Instructional designers worldwide.

While Benjamin Bloom published his taxonomy that includes the three learning domains- cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, this taxonomy is followed and used even today in the present e-Learning world.

What is Instructional Design?

Instructional Design, thus, focuses on specific learning outcomes. There are numerous designs and models (like ADDIE) of Instructional design today, but they share a common ground, which is as follows-

1. Analysis:

   It is an essential step in developing any instructional material. A thorough analysis of the needs and the target audience is a must before proceeding to the next stage. Setting learning objectives is a good practice during this stage.

2. Design and Development:

   The instructional material must be designed and developed, keeping in mind the needs established during the analysis stage. The content must engage the learner and must fulfill the objectives of the course.

3. Evaluation:

   Evaluation is the stage that determines if the learning material developed was effective in addressing the needs. Whether it had an impact on the learner’s behavior can be measured here.

4. Feedback:

   This includes the feedback from the learner about the course. The learner gives his/her feedback about the course’s navigation and whether the instructional material was explicit and easy to comprehend.

Once all of this is done, going back to the first step to check whether the objectives have been achieved is essential. This gives the instructional designer an idea of whether the instructional material has effectively brought about a change in learners’ behavior.

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What do Instructional Designers do?

This fast-paced world is one that does not stop for anything and anyone. In such times, it is the need of the hour for every employer to deliver knowledge to the workforce in short chunks. While there are companies that create learning solutions, many leading ones today employ in-house instructional designers. Thus, Instructional designers work in corporate companies and play a key role in education and the industrial sector.

The world of e-Learning is continuously changing, and an instructional designer must learn, adapt, and innovate on demand. An Instructional Designer must be skilled in learning methodologies. The designer conducts a needs analysis, then designs and develops the learning materials required. Many corporates may also ask Instructional Designers to assess whether the learners have gained the knowledge that the course aims at providing. As a result, the Instructional designer becomes a part of the evaluation process.

So, what does an Instructional Designer do?

1. Planning and Analysis:

   To develop an e-learning course, the Instructional Designer must first assess the needs of the demographic. He/ She must understand the learning objects and list them down. A well chalked out plan in the flow of the content goes a long way in making the content easier to absorb. This step also includes identifying what methodologies to adopt and what technology to use to deliver the content to the learners. Knowledge of adult learning theories is also a pre-requisite for an instructional designer.

2. Design:

   This step is designing of the learning material and making it appealing to the learners. The content must flow smoothly and keep the learner engaged to make learning effective. Sometimes, Instructional designers are given already existing courses that the employers want to be updated or made more engaging to increase effectiveness. This would then entail a lot of research on the part of the Instructional Designer and knowledge on the kind of language to be used throughout the course.

3. Collaborate:

   Though there are Instructional Designers who do freelance work, Instructional designers typically do not work alone. They are part of a team of graphic designers, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), project managers, programmers, business developers, and quality assurance specialists. The SME and Instructional designers work closely to fill in the content gaps, include compelling interactivity, and create evaluation techniques. Needless to say, all the creative minds must go along on the same path to deliver the content to the learners in the most effective way.

4. Management:

   Since there are so many people involved in the making of a course, an Instructional designer must be able to manage all those involved. Thus, he/she is required to have exceptional communication skills as the instructional designer acts as a link among all.

5.  Technology:

   An Instructional designer must be well versed with the various technical aspects required to develop a course. Generally, a good knowledge of different authoring tools like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, to name a few, is an essential requirement of an instructional designer. Along with this, knowing which authoring tool is compliant with the employers’ or client’s Learning Management System (LMS) is also a bonus.

Instructional Design Models

Applying Instructional Design models while creating an eLearning course helps an instructional designer plan better and deliver the content in a meaningful way. Retention of knowledge and application of gained skills in actual behavior increase when the course follows a structure based on anyone or a blend of these models.

1. ADDIE:

   There are various models that Instructional designers prefer to follow; however, the most followed, researched and adapted one is the ADDIE model. ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. While being linear in structure, critics argue that this model is time-consuming and does not allow flexibility.

2. SAM:

   SAM (Successive Approximation Model), used as an alternative to the ADDIE model, breaks the course development process into small chunks. This helps in identifying issues in the process quickly and remedying them then and there.

3. Dick and Carey Systems Approach Model

The Systems Approach Model focuses on the way a lesson is planned and gives nine steps to be followed.

They are:

1. 1. Instructional Goals
   2. Analysis
   3. Learners’ Behaviour
   4. Objectives
   5. Strategy
   6. Instructional Material
   7. Formative Evaluation
   8. Summative Evaluation

4. Rapid Instructional Design:

This model is suited for the fast-paced world where an Instructional designer has tight deadlines. The four elements of this are:
i. Prepare
ii. Present
iii. Practice
iv. Perform

5. Rapid Prototyping:

This model combines the final design, development, and evaluation phases of the ADDIE model and creates a short working sample of the entire course. This gives the clients a sneak-peek into what the course would look like.

The e-Learning industry today:

With constant innovations in the field of technology, one must keep up with the changes in these times. Many e-learning companies offer a variety of services.

Instructional design companies help their clients identify gaps in their learning goals and business outcomes by conducting an in-depth analysis. They then create the appropriate content using ILT, Virtual training, micro-learning, and gamified approach. Some companies partner with their clients on a long-term basis to evaluate employee performance and conduct regular assessments.

Learning Everest is one such Instructional design company that believes in building a strong foundation by using ID principles in creating useful instructional materials. Our team of highly skilled professionals use the cutting-edge technology available today and build storyboards, gamified content, and valuable assessment techniques that aim to fulfill the course’s learning objectives.