Introduction to ADDIE — Dr. Luke Hobson

Jun 7

Jun 7 Introduction to the ADDIE Process

Ah, good ol’ ADDIE. ADDIE is the original design process that many, many designers and organizations swear by. It’s also created quite the commotion within the instructional design space with some folks having strong feelings questioning the fundamentals of ADDIE such as “Is ADDIE a process or a model?”, “Is it a project management methodology or an ID model?”, “Is it still relevant?” and the list goes on and on. I don’t have all the answers, but here’s what I can tell you about ADDIE:

It’s commonly used by IDs even if they don’t specifically call out the steps
It can be combined with ID models (Backward Design + ADDIE)
It’s listed as a preference on a majority of job postings
It’s extremely misunderstood

Let me unpack that last bullet point real quick. If you Google “ADDIE” right now, you’ll often find infographics that can be interpreted as you finish one step and then move on to the next step. In the real-world, that does not work. ADDIE was created back in the 1970s and I think it’s safe to say, we have changed from how we worked from back then. Most folks I know will tell you how ADDIE is not meant to be a linear model. Instead, you are constantly evaluating how the project is progressing and then make tweaks and changes as necessary. While the E in ADDIE stands for Evaluation and it appears to be at the end of the phrase, you are constantly evaluating everything. This is because things change and people aren’t perfect. Shocking, I know. I’ve had my budget cut, SMEs change on projects, delivery methods modified from only online to hybrid, etc. In reality, I guess you would call it AEDEDEIEE, which clearly doesn’t look or sound as good. So, what does ADDIE stand for?

Analysis
Design
Development
Implementation
Evaluation

So now, let’s talk about what these steps actually mean:

Analysis

The first step is to analyze the learning needs of the learners. This includes identifying the learners' goals, their current knowledge and skills, and the challenges they face. Analysis is a crucial step in the ADDIE process, as it lays the foundation for everything else that is to come. During the analysis phase, instructional designers gather and analyze information about the situation, their learners, their needs, and the context in which the instruction will take place. This information is then used to identify the goals, which guide the design and development of the materials.

Conducting a needs assessment is the first step in the right direction. This is when the ID analyzes the current situation in terms of training, knowledge gaps, etc. This is when you are putting on your researcher hat and asking questions like:

What is the point of the course, training, or program?
Why are we doing it?
What type of behavioral change is desired?
Will the product actually help?
What’s currently being done or has been done?
Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?
The core of your training plan will be “How can we improve the situation and achieve business goals through training?”

Overall, thorough analysis helps ensure that the learning materials and learning experience will be effective in meeting the needs of the learners and achieving the desired learning outcomes.

Design

The next step is to design the overall learning experience. This is when you are creating the blueprint for what the course, training, or program will look like. You can divide this blueprint into three main elements:

The learning environment - How will the training or course take place?

Face-to-face, online, hybrid?

The learning objectives - What learners are expected to achieve as a result of instruction
The learning strategies - Assessments and activities during the course or training that engages students and learners in deep thought about the subject matter.

Peer-review, scenarios, project-based learning, etc.

Put all these elements together and you have the design stage.

Development

The third step is to develop the learning experience. From what you created with the blueprint, now you put the plan in place. This is when you transform the ideas and designs into a tangible learning product. In this phase, you take the learning assessments, learning activities and content you mapped out previously and now build them and add ample details to them. All of these elements will be used to facilitate learning. During the development phase, the designer has the opportunity to test and refine their assessments, activities, and content, ensuring that they are effective, engaging, and meet the needs of the learners. Essentially, this is the building phase.

You can think of the first phases as in terms of building a new home. The analysis phase is when the developers realize there is a business opportunity and begins scouting pieces of land to purchase. The design phase is when the blueprints and drawings are created by the architects for what the home will look like. The development phase is when the construction crew physically builds the house.

The development phase is important because it sets the foundation for the implementation phase and ultimately for the success of the learning program. Without a thorough and well-designed development phase, the learning materials may not meet the needs of the target audience or achieve the desired learning objectives.

Implementation

The fourth step is to launch the learning experience. This stage involves delivering the instructional content to the target audience, ensuring that the learning materials are being used correctly, and ensuring that the learning environment is supportive and conducive to learning. Essentially, this is when your course or training goes live. Depending upon the circumstances, this is usually when training the trainer and preparing the learners takes place. I say it depends because this could be different for the various kinds of projects. From a higher education perspective, think of this as when the adjunct instructor goes through training and the students are going through an onboarding process. The same can be said from a corporate perspective with the trainer needing to have a solid understanding of the learning materials and the participants needing to be aware of what's to be expected of them

Effective implementation is essential for ensuring that the goals, outcomes, and objectives are met, and for evaluating the effectiveness of the course, training, or program in achieving said desired results. The implementation stage also allows for continuous improvement, as feedback and results from the evaluation stage can be used to refine and improve future implementations.

Evaluation

The fifth and final step is to evaluate the learning experience. In the evaluation phase, the learning materials that were developed in the previous phases are tested and assessed to determine their effectiveness in achieving the intended learning outcomes. The evaluation phase also provides feedback to improve the learning materials for future use.The evaluation process can involve various methods such as formative evaluations, summative evaluations, and both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Some common evaluation tools include surveys, tests, and observations of learner performance.

In the evaluation phase, it is important to consider the following questions:

Did the learning experience achieve the desired learning objectives?
Were the instructional materials relevant, engaging, meaningful, and effective for the intended audience?
Did the learning experience meet the needs and expectations of the stakeholders and organization?
Were there any challenges or limitations in delivering the assessments, activities, or content?
How can the instructional materials be improved for future use?

By thoroughly evaluating the learning product, the ADDIE process ensures that the end product is effective and meets the needs of the intended audience.

Once again, this is not a linear process. Every designer seems to have their own take on ADDIE, but the above steps are the basics. I’m also attempting to summarize ADDIE when it has such a vast history. You’ll find that many organizations today forget about the A and the D in ADDIE and just leave their projects to “DIE.” Karl Kapp told me that joke on the podcast and it’s so true. Many organizations do not dedicate enough time for the analysis and design steps. They want the learning product yesterday, and that usually means we, as instructional designers, need to face challenges and resistance with trying to make changes. Not every organization is like this and you could face the opposite problem with them conducting so much research that they never make a final decision until it’s too late.

What I do like about ADDIE is that it feels like common sense. Every step is rather logical and doesn’t feel out of place. Of course, this is not a one size fits all process and things can certainly change. However, it’s never a bad idea to go back to the basics to figure out how to design your learning product..

If you want to take a deep dive into ADDIE, I’d recommend Instructional Design: The ADDIE Approach. FYI, that is an affiliate link to Amazon, and if you do purchase the book through that link, it helps me to keep the lights on. Also, please ignore the chapter about learning styles…

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