The ADDIE Model: A Commonsense Approach to Effective Instructional Design

The educational technology industry continues to grow with the demand for online training programs that advantageously teach new skills to employees without interrupting the flow of workforce production.
Many instructional designers, unfamiliar with the multiple job roles found within different organizations, follow the ADDIE instructional systems design model as a means to create effective training modules for human resources to implement.

Organizations commonly have skill-specific job duties that require new-hire trainings and periodic skill updates for other employees. Human resource managers are tasked with training employees, but often lack the time and technological expertise to develop independent computer-based learning programs.

Many organizations find it more efficient to outsource the development of educational technology training programs.
Instructional design firms create effective employee training programs that human resource departments then implement.
From the small neighborhood business to global industry, employees login and learn new techniques, complete safety trainings, and develop added knowledge, skills, and abilities.
More often than not, human resources and/or CEOs can spot overall gaps in production, but can not necessarily pinpoint the exact cause or find an effective solution. As an outside observer, instructional designers enter the workplace with little to no knowledge of the company's training needs or learning gaps.

By following an instructional systems design model, design teams can properly identify learning gaps, in which effective training can then be constructed, and later evaluated.
Experts in the field of educational technology commonly cite the ADDIE model as an effective framework for developing necessary instruction for clients.

When all five steps are applied, the ADDIE model offers an effective common sense approach to instructional development.
Analyze: The analysis phase is by far the most important, but often most skipped step.
Instructional designers assess: learning goals, prospective learners' needs and learning characteristics, the work environment and possible constraints, various delivery methods of instruction, the time necessary for completion, and other factors as applicable, in order to identify the learning gap and propose an effective training solution.

Design: In the design phase, instructional designers build a prototype for review by clients.

This includes specific goals, learning strategies, means of delivery, and a framework for completion. Develop: Once clients approve the prototype, the actual development stage begins.
This often includes storyboarding, followed by the creation of graphics, videos, online training portals, and/or other visual or audio learning aids.

Once the initial training program has been created, designers then test the training program and make necessary revisions.
A trial version is often sent to the client for further review and testing.

Implement: Once the training has been completely developed, tested, and approved, it is handed to human resource departments or instructional teams in order to train employees.

Evaluate: The evaluation phase is another step of the ADDIE model that is necessary, but often overlooked.
In this phase, formative assessments are used to best measure the short-term effectiveness of the training program in conjunction with summative assessments that measure long-term retention.
Through proper evaluation, companies and instructional design teams can continue to improve educational programs to best meet learning goals and desired outcomes.