How to Use the ADDIE Model to Develop eLearning Experiences

- 4 MIN READ -

Even for the most experienced learning and development (L&D) professionals, creating a truly successful eLearning experience - one that meets the needs of educators and students and produces quantifiable repeatable results - can be difficult.

Fortunately, it's for precisely this reason that instructional systems design (ISD) frameworks exist. They give L&D professionals a structure that helps them create successful eLearning programs. In this article, we'll be telling you everything you need to know about using the popular ADDIE ISD framework model to efficiently develop successful eLearning experiences.

What is ADDIE?

ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. The ADDIE ISD framework model was created at Florida State University in an effort to provide military L&D professionals with an ISD framework that would let them consistently produce effective, high-quality training exercises. Upon its debut, L&D professionals recognized that the ADDIE model could also be used to create educational and training experiences, and it's been firmly rooted in the eLearning industry as an ISD framework ever since.

Now that you know (roughly) what the ADDIE model is, the next step is to understand how each of the ADDIE model's five steps should be approached.

ADDIE Model Phase One: Analysis

The analysis phase marks the beginning of production for L&D professionals. During the analysis phase, they take into account all of the factors that will dictate how they're going to develop their eLearning experience and perform actions such as:

• Assessing business goals and budget.
• Conducting needs analysis studies.
• Identifying the eLearning needs.
• Analyzing target demographics.
• Developing learning objectives.

You can think of the analysis phase as the pre-design phase that counts as the first measure in the phrase "measure twice, cut once." This is the initial step that will dictate how the eLearning experience is designed moving forward. For an in-depth guide and additional insights into this process, check out our free eBook:

Download our eBook: LMS 101 - 6 Considerations For Choosing The Right System Part 1

ADDIE Model Phase Two: Design

The design phase is the second measure of the "measure twice, cut once" phrase, and involves the in-depth tinkering and pre-development design any eLearning experience should undergo. This means that L&D professionals in this stage of ADDIE should be doing things such as:

• Identifying what design strategy will be used to develop the eLearning experience.
• Identifying what delivery method (e.g., Moodle LMS) will present the experience to learners.
• Determining the structure and duration of the experience.
• Establishing an evaluation methodology for post-production analysis of how the eLearning experience is performing.
• Developing storyboards for the experience and beginning development of advertising media.

ADDIE Model Phase Three: Develop

The development phase represents the action of cutting in the "measure twice, cut once" tailoring analogy we've been using so far. This entails that L&D professionals should:

• Start prototyping the course.
• Identify what training materials are needed and begin their development.
• Start reviewing needed learning materials and data gathered from the analysis phase.
• Create a training pilot that can be run for preliminary QA purposes, after which formal QA should begin.
• Eliminate bugs, streamline material and finalize the eLearning course so that it's ready to hit the desks (or emails) of educators.

ADDIE Model Phase Four: Implement

If we were to extend our tailoring analogy to this phase, this would be the moment that the designer produces the clothing for the celebrity to wear out onto the red carpet. Implementing an eLearning experience into practice requires that L&D professionals:

• Establish the training schedule (i.e., figure out when the course will be used)
• Print or prepare online media complementary materials (such as handouts or homework sheets) for learners.
• Send the eLearning experience to educators along with an educator handbook to familiarize them with the material and teach them how to present it.
• Notify learners of the completion of the eLearning experience and begin enrolling learners.
• Launch the course for use by educators and learners.

ADDIE Model Phase Five: Evaluate

In the tailoring analogy, this phase would represent the designer's analysis of how the clothing was received by the celebrity, paparazzi and fashion industry experts when worn on the red carpet and then using that analysis to inform how they craft their next piece of clothing. For L&D professionals, this means:

• Collecting and analyzing training evaluation data collected in a Learning Record Store (LRS) and translated by xAPI or SCORM into usable data (learn more about this process by checking out this on-demand webinar):

Watch Now: Analyzing xAPI Data with Zoola Analytics

• Reviewing the success and efficacy of the eLearning experience according to data.
• Assessing the performance of the project overall (i.e., sales, whether or not the project remained within budget parameters and met deadlines, etc.) Proper assessment can lead to improved training results and increased revenues.
• Reporting all of the above data to the producers of the eLearning experience to inform the development of future eLearning experiences.

Read our case study and learn how Sandler Training delivers superior online training to more than 37,000 learners worldwide

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about implementing the ADDIE model when developing an eLearning experience.

If you're struggling to improve the efficacy of your eLearning experiences, we'd love to help! Lambda Solutions specializes in helping educators and L&D professionals get the most out of their eLearning programs. To learn more about what Lambda Solutions can do for you, click here for our services. Or, contact us for details.