Overview of the ADDIE Model
ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation, and serves as probably the best-known foundational framework in the field of instructional design. ADDIE, originally developed to facilitate military training, can be used for everything from in-person classes to online courses (Szabo, 2022). This linear model is easy to remember and can be implemented effectively by both newcomers to instructional design as well as seasoned course developers.
Here is an overview of the five phases of ADDIE course development:
Analysis: During this phase, instructional designers should thoroughly analyze the proposed learning project and answer various questions about it, including:
Is this particular course truly necessary?
What are the learning gaps of the potential students?
What are the learning objectives of the proposed course?
Who is the target audience (demographics, prior knowledge, job roles, etc.)?
What are the potential limitations of the target audience (for example, access to technologies)?
An analysis document can potentially be drawn up to identify and articulate potential challenges and opportunities in the course creation process. Learner personas, which are mock bios of composite people, can be helpful in visualizing the target audience and articulating their needs.
Design: The design process of ADDIE is all about creating a detailed plan or blueprint of the course. This can include plans and outlines for:
Course objectives and desired learning outcomes
Course technologies and delivery methods (LMS, video, text, graphics, etc.)
Curriculum/course outline
Instructors and any team members needed to manage the course
Reference material or textbooks used to supplement course materials
Assessments and testing
Course surveys to track learner adoption
Development: The development phase of ADDIE is when the actual course materials are developed. These materials may include:
Learning Management System (LMS) environment setup for virtual courses
Classroom setup for in-person or blended courses
Technology implementation (interactive whiteboards, etc.)
Outlines and scripts for teachers or video production
Multimedia asset creation (audio, video, etc.)
Quizzes, tests, and homework assignments
Handouts for students
Discussion prompts for student interaction
During this time, the materials may start to be placed into the LMS. Course planners might choose to prepopulate online courses with all materials prior to launch, or, course materials might be uploaded into the course backend as the course progresses (which may occur more when live video conferencing is a key part of the course).
Implementation: During the implementation phase of ADDIE, the course is launched so that students can now participate in it. (Note: Depending on the type of course or platform, a beta implementation might precede the full launch.) The implementation phase for instructional designers might include:
Uploading and editing all course materials to the LMS if this hasn’t already occurred during the development stage
Supporting the teachers so they are able to access and teach from the curriculum
Monitoring the LMS system to ensure that students can register and participate in the course without issues
Launching media, tests, and resources on schedule, which can potentially be important if video recordings of live calls need to be uploaded to an LMS in a timely manner
Implementation is a key part of the ADDIE process. A shaky course launch can be confusing and frustrating for students. Ensuring a smooth implementation is a key part of a successful course experience, especially in online courses where the human element is often missing.
Evaluation: Evaluation can and should happen at any time during the ADDIE process, but this section will focus on questions to ask after a course is launched. The purpose of evaluation is to check to see if the course met its objectives, which should always be focused on teaching students new skills, behaviors, knowledge, or attitudes. A strong course evaluation will go beyond a quick survey to see if the course made students “feel good” - it should ideally assess student competence following the course instruction.
Key points to consider in course evaluation:
Has student performance improved after the training?
Are students able to articulate what they learned in the training?
Did the course achieve its goal(s) in terms of teaching new skills, behaviors, knowledge, or attitudes?
What was the completion rate of the course? Did students drop out and if so, why?
Were students blocked or stymied during the course due to technical issues?
Course evaluations should be used to assess course efficacy, and if major problems are found, it may be time to go back to Analysis and start the ADDIE process all over again.
Implications of the ADDIE Model for Instructional Design
Instructional designers can benefit from the ADDIE instructional design model because of its clear yet flexible framework. With just five main steps, ADDIE is easy to remember, while providing enough room for more fine-tuned substeps that can be created and modified by the individual instructional designer or team.
This succinct model makes instructional design more accessible to newcomers in the field, while providing a powerful framework for seasoned learning professionals.
Despite having only five main steps, ADDIE guides instructional design through a comprehensive and measurable structure that can be easily tracked and analyzed for its effectiveness. It follows the step-by-step order that one might naturally take to create a course, requiring no great leap of logic or large flowchart to understand which steps follow one another.
Although ADDIE appears to be a linear process on the surface, it can also be used in an iterative manner to improve and adjust courses until they reach their optimal stages.
Finally, ADDIE can be applied to both offline and online learning, and thus can be used for a wide variety of learning projects, from small to large.
Strengths and Limitations of the ADDIE Model in Adult Online Learning
Adult online learning is a big business, with projected revenue reaching $185.20 billion in 2024 and an annual growth rate of 8.56% through 2029 (Statista, 2024). The types and genres of online courses are varied, and span traditional education transformed into an online learning experience, such as MOOCs, to consumer online courses presented by internet personalities and influencers.
Online course creation can potentially be a lucrative main or side business for solo entrepreneurs and small businesses. The ADDIE model of instructional design could be helpful to such online course creators, who may not have any previous experience with academic or corporate online instructional methodologies.
ADDIE Strengths
ADDIE can provide a framework for course creators, giving them a step-by-step process to create better e-learning experiences, as opposed to the “throwing spaghetti at the wall” approach that might be more commonly utilized in smaller companies or by solopreneurs.
The ADDIE model is intuitive and lays out common-sense steps to create a learning experience. The categories of ADDIE are self-explanatory and do not require much elaboration to be understood by laypeople. The steps below flow naturally from one to another; ADDIE does not require an elaborate graphic with multiple arrow points connecting different stages of the model in order to understand the order of course development stages.
ADDIE Limitations
The downside of using ADDIE for a small business or entrepreneurial course creator is that some of the phases might be less feasible, especially if budgets are tight.
For example, a comprehensive analysis phase might not be available to an influencer who is just starting out and has a small but growing fan base on social media. While the influencer could potentially use quick surveys to gauge the interest of their followers in various course aspects, more in-depth analysis may be too time-consuming or costly to initiate.
Furthermore, for a small business or someone with a smaller budget, ADDIE's emphasis on evaluation might also present some potential roadblocks.
Additionally, for those with a smaller budget, the development portion of ADDIE will likely be where the most risk falls, due to the investment of time and resources. While ADDIE can be iterative, it is very important in smaller budget projects to get things done right the first time. This would avoid the time and money wastage of, for example, re-recording videos that weren't properly scripted the first time around.
Therefore, with a small business approach, the most important aspect of ADDIE is probably the design phase, which is where every aspect of the course should be meticulously laid out prior to design and implementation.
References
Online education—worldwide | statista market forecast. (n.d.). Statista. Retrieved Aug 12, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/outlook/emo/online-education/worldwide
Szabo, D. A. (2022). Adapting the Addie Instructional Design Model in Online Education. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Psychologia-Paedagogia, 67(1), 126–140. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbpsyped.2022.1.08