ADDIE: 5 Steps To Effective Training
Addie
Explained
Addie is an acronym for the five stages of a development
process: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The ADDIE
model relies on each stage being done in the given order but with a focus on
reflection and iteration. The model gives you a streamlined, focused approach
that provides feedback for continuous improvement.
The
5 Steps of The Addie Process
Step
1: Analysis
Before you start developing any content or training
strategies, you should analyze the current situation in terms of training,
knowledge gaps etc. Start with a series of questions to understand the current
situation and to also understand what is the goal of the training itself. This
influences a huge amount of decisions later in the process.
One very common question is: What is the point of the
training? Why are we doing it? What type of behavioral change is desired? Will
training actually help? This phase should be a full audit of the audience,
business goals, training methodologies used, media types used, etc. Once this
is done, you can generate a training plan that addresses:
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?”. You will use this question as the foundation
for the rest of the process. You should come out with: an analysis of training
needs and a training plan
Step
2: Design
With your training plan done, you then get to the design
phase – this is where you take all of the learnings of the previous phase and
use it to make practical decisions. This includes a strategy, delivery methods,
structure, duration, assessment, and feedback. The next step is to storyboard
your ideas and/or create a prototype. You are creating a blueprint for your
courses, and by making a prototype you can quickly communicate with other
stakeholders the value of the training.
An initial testing phase of the prototype is always a
good idea, this is a sanity check that is carried out prior to moving too far
forward.
You should come out with: an overview of the course
design and storyboards/prototypes.
Step 3: Development
At this stage, you can begin to create the courses. You
will be heavily guided by the prototype/storyboards at this point. Each element
of the course should be developed to match the design phase. The core of the
content has already been decided. All you need to add is a level of detail and
polish to the courses.
This is done by adding graphics, choosing colors and
deciding on fonts. To some, this may seem trivial, but it has a huge bearing on
how engaging the course content is.
The careful selection of these elements allows you to
present the course in a manner that will appeal to the audience (which may
become apparent with an analysis of the audience in the first phase). The development process should be iterative.
Once you have created a course you should test it to ensure there are no basic
errors – grammar, spelling, syntax etc. Testing should also look at the
mechanics of the course. A key consideration at this stage is navigation.
The vast majority of problems that learners encounter are
related to how the course was built in the authoring tool. The frustrating
thing is that it can often be something very simple that the instructional
designer misses because they did not test the course.
Testing the course is not flicking through it – it is a
systematic check on the accuracy of the content and the utility of the
navigation. Can a learner progress in the way I designed? – even if they make
unexpected decisions. Building upon that should be a check on the flow of the
content. Is it engaging, how is the length etc?
You should come out with: Course Content
Step
4: Implementation
Once you have completed your courses and you are satisfied
that they are fully tested, it’s time to share them with the learner. The
decisions made in the design phase will influence how this is actually carried
out. In the majority of cases, the courses are uploaded to an LMS and the
delivery options are set up – who are enrolled, how much time are they given,
pass marks for assessments, and the collection of feedback. The delivery,
tracking, and reporting are all handled by the LMS.
The instructional designer should monitor the situation
for any teething issues. One of the best was to prevent against any problems in
the implementation phase is to conduct a pilot of a course before unleashing
the content on the entire group.
You should come out with:
Your courses are live in the LMS and learners can start
to take and complete courses
Step
5: Evaluation
ADDIE’s main goal is to provide a structured method of
creating training programs. It is also, however, a powerful model for improving
the way in which future iterations are created. Getting feedback on every
aspect of the courses is really important so that you can improve and revise
the content. What to focus on:
Did we meet the goals as set out in the analysis phase?
Take feedback and place back into the analysis phase.
Identify other training requirements.
Identify possible changes in media types or approach.
A great way to get feedback is to ask learners to
complete surveys at the end of their course. This can be done within the course
(using your authoring tool) or as by the LMS. Create questions specific to the
points above but, also encourage learners to give feedback in a free text box
so that you are aware of any gaps you may not have thought of.
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