The Problem of Perfection in Instructional Design

Many instructional designers want to create the most effective, engaging product possible. I know I do, but deep down somewhere in my psyche, I believe that I subconsciously want to create a "perfect" unit of instruction, something that will help each and every student learn, something that manages cognitive load effectively, and help students acquire knowledge and skills that are fully transferred to real-world situations. Unfortunately, I have seen some instructional designers become obsessive about the quality of their work, to the point of losing sleep and generally becoming unhappy and unpleasant people.

I have realized over several years of teaching, training and designing instruction that instructional perfection is not possible. I may be burned at the scholarly stake for saying this, but here are a few considerations:

1. We design under constraints. We all have limitations of time, resources, money, expertise, tools, etc. Without any one of these, we will likely never have all we need to obtain instructional perfection.
2. All learners are different. Even if we design and develop a fabulous piece of instruction, our learners all have different backgrounds, different experiences, and different skill-levels. This means that what works "perfectly" for one learner likely won't for another.
3. Perfection is a mirage. The idea of perfection is not necessarily a reality- even when we meet 100% of the criteria for an instructional product, there is still always more that could be done. Perfection is, from a design perspective, literally unattainable.

Now, having made this (perhaps heretical) assertion, I believe that as designers, we should strive for excellence in our work, but must learn to be satisfied with what is possible given our constraints. The classic Whinston Churchill quote rings true: "Do what you can with what you have where you are."

In striving for excellence, it should be noted great deal of joy can be derived from continually refining and improving a piece of instruction. As we develop our curriculum in the IDPT Master's Program at Franklin University, we formatively evaluate each course and determine how we can refine and improve them. This means restructuring sequence and assignments, eliminating or clarifying confusing materials, providing worked examples, supportive multimedia, templates, and tips to guide students toward learning success.

Working to improve a course should be seen as a pleasure, done for the love of instruction and not as the result of some compulsion to work for instructional perfection. Instructional design is a creative endeavor- it should be seen as the creative application of research-based principles toward the goal of helping learners learn.

Let us move in our design toward excellence, avoid the mirage of instructional perfection, and find satisfaction in the principles and practices of instructional design.

ADDIE Process - Implementation Phase

This post is part 4 in a 5-part series on the Phases of the ADDIE Process of Instructional Design. 
< Previous post: Development    |    Next post: Evaluation >
 

After you have developed your unit of e-learning, you are prepared to implement your instruction. This can take place in a traditional classroom, in a Learning Management System, etc. Depending on the environment, the implementation is different. Here are some things to consider when you are ready to implement your unit of instruction:

1. Pilot test. If you can conduct a pilot test of the instruction and make revisions based on how the pilot went, you will have a much higher quality piece of instruction. This is discussed in greater detail in the upcoming post on evaluation.
2. Notify all stakeholders that the course is ready to run. This includes managers, administration, facilitators, and learners.
3. Select and train facilitator. Make sure they are confident in their ability to facilitate the training.
4. Gather print materials. Make sure any student workbooks or job aids are prepared.
5. Secure needed technology. This includes projectors, laptops, ipads, or any other needed technology.
6. secure training space. Make sure the space provides all needed resources.
7. Create schedule of training or instruction.

There are likely dozens of other considerations, but the above list should get you started. For a nice explanation of the Implementation Phase, watch the video below:

ADDIE Process - the Design Phase

This post is part 2 in a series on the ADDIE Process of Instructional Design.

Design 

After performing an effective analysis, it is important to design your unit of instruction. This means planning out how you will help your students (1) acquire the knowledge and skills you have identified in your analysis, (2) apply that knowledge in meaningful ways, and (3) receive feedback and guidance on their learning. In the design phase, you build on the analysis you have performed. It will guide your thinking and planning.

 There are several steps that can be followed in the design phase. These include:

1. Analyze the subject matter -You need to have a thorough grasp of the content that the student will be required to understand and use. This analysis usually means breaking the content down into appropriate chunks of information, identifying how these chunks should be taught based on what kind of content they are- knowledge, skills, attitude, real-world task, etc.
2. Plan out instructional activities -Based on your analysis, you will need to plan out specifically how you will help your students to reach the goals and objectives you devised in your analysis. This includes creating all activities that will help your students acquire the knowledge they need, and practice applying it in meaningful ways. For help on this, see the section Evidence-based practice below.
3. Storyboard instructional activities -An important step in designing your instruction is storyboarding. This means laying out the sequence of the instructional activities. This can be done in a Word document, in a powerpoint document, on a whiteboard, or on a wall. Some people storyboard in the actual medium they will be developing in, like a Learning Management System. Whatever you do, the point is to plan out a logical sequence of learning activities for the learner.

Evidence-based Practice

As you design your instruction, be sure to use evidence-based practice- in other words, use what works. But what works? What guidance does research and experience give? There are a few fundamental principles of instruction that should be used when teaching knowledge and skills. I have discussed these generally in a previous post on Merrill's First Principles of Instruction. In addition, Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction have empirical evidence supporting their use and are easily implemented.

It is easy to get caught up in a fad or do what seems creative of flashy. But these things can be distracting to students and can actually detract from the effective design of instruction. An example of a distracting but common theory of how people learn is Learning Styles, which I write about here. Learning styles sound credible, but there is actually little or no evidence that adapting instruction to learning styles is actually effective.

I recommend watching this video, which gives a nice overview of the design phase:

Click here for next phase: Development

ADDIE Process - the Analysis Phase

This post is part 1 in a 5-part series on the Phases of the ADDIE Process of Instructional Design. 
Next post: Design >


One of the tools instructional designers use to create effective instructional materials is instructional design process. This is important because following a process can help ensure that there is greater quality to the finished product that is created.

In a previous post, I wrote a basic overview of the ADDIE Process for instructional design. Over the next few weeks, I am going to write a series of posts of each of the individual phases or steps in the ADDIE Process. These steps include Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. In this post, we will focus on the Analysis phase.

Analysis
The purpose of the analysis phase is to orient yourself toward creating a successful learning experience for your learners. In this phase, you answer key, fundamental questions about the instruction you are designing. At a general level, this includes the following questions:

1. Who are we designing this instruction for? Who are the learners? This question may seem obvious at first, but gathering information about your learners' background, cultures, prior relevant knowledge, age, time constraints, etc. will give you knowledge that will help you provide effective instruction for that group.
2. What specifically do we want our learners to know and do? Most often, instructional designers will work to create a series of instructional or learning objectives. These objectives should state very clearly what the student will be able to do by the time they finish learning. If these objectives are not clear, then it is difficult to know if the instruction is successful.
3. How will we evaluate student learning? Knowing how you plan to evaluate learning will guide the manner in which you design your instruction. 
4. What is the learning context? Where will the students learn from the instruction? This is an important clarification because it affects the later phases of the instructional design process.
5. What is the performance context? Where will students apply this knowledge in the future? Knowing how and where students will use their newly acquired knowledge will help you design instruction that can be applied more readily by the learner.

Remember, there is a lot to this phase of instruction, so I encourage you to learn more about how to perform it effectively. Click here to learn about the next Phase: Design. To learn more about the Analysis Phase, read the following:

1. Read Boise State's page on Analysis
2. Read The Systematic Design of Instruction
3. Watch this introductory video on the Analysis Phase:

Click Here for next phase: Design