The ADDIE process is frequently used in both higher education and in corporate training; it is an instructional systems design (ISD) model.   The five stages of the framework are Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (Peterson, 2003).

In the Analysis phase, the needs of the audience are analyzed, as well as the content necessary for the course.  The Design phase involves creating the instructional components – defining objectives, assessments, instructional methodologies and resource materials; this process utilizes the needs and content results from the Analysis phase.  Phase 3 is Development, whereby the production of the course actually occurs.  Within this phase, drafting, production, and evaluation occur internally, before learners take part in the course.  Implementation involves not only the course in process with active learners and faculty, but also continual and iterative improvement by the designer.  Finally, in the Evaluation phase (which can begin through the development stage in a formative sense,) the designer determines what has been successful about the course, what needs changes, and how to make needed adaptations (Peterson, 2003).  There is a common adaptation of ADDIE that is referred to as rapid prototyping whereby the iterative process is sped up so that complications can be caught and fixed earlier.

Next up, Understanding by Design.

Or, return to the module “The Basics of Instructional Design” here.