A very important aspect of the ADDIE model is the developmental phase bringing together all of the elements that make up a plan of instruction.  In the development stage the designer focuses, with a keen eye, on whether what was defined during the design phase would, in fact, make the plan of instruction more effective.  In deciding what delivery system to use, it is good to look at the process from the point of view of the end product. (Piskurich, 2005)  Some other tips for the development phase include, “Everything can change; keep asking, ‘Is this the right approach?’; and Know Your Learner” (Piskurich, 2005, p.190), which should come from information derived in the trainee analysis. Can you think of other tips that might aid a designer in the development process?  How dependent on the analysis phase to what is needed to accomplish the development phase;  and the design phase?

One experience I would like to share as an online learner that gave me the opinion the materials and resources reflected an ineffective design, was a weekly quiz required in my Foundations in Education class.  It does not sound so dysfunctional, really.  Although, I would read, study and take notes throughout the week;  the quizzes were open book and we had three hours to complete them; however, the multiple- choice format used many ways to describe the information as to confuse the test taker and make it more difficult to find the right answer.  As the course progressed I began to experience true test anxiety, which I had never had much of a problem with in the process of acquiring an education.  What are the causes of test anxiety?  Do you know any good ways to overcome test anxiety?

Since I was very familiar with the material, I would at first use my best judgement and take the entire quiz without help from my notes or the text.  Then, I would go back and find the correct answers and make a reference as to what page I found the answer on, to be sure those answers were done.  I would then go back through the questions I did not find answers for in the book, or the answers I had doubts about any accuracy.  Being an adult learner, I had a “high level of motivation to learn” (Morrison, et. al, 2011, p.63) and it was important for me to retain and understand the material thoroughly.  For some reason I could only make B’s on those quizzes.  After the quiz, the student immediately received the test results.  That is only part of the criteria recommended for effective online instruction.  However in this case, they never gave the student any idea of what the right answer might be.  I would continue to search for the correct answer to questions I missed, and often just gave up…with no hope of ever knowing the real answer.  Have you experienced a similar circumstance, or frustration?

It is of my opinion the materials and resources reflected ineffective design, due to the lack of immediate feedback I received after these weekly quizzes.  Piskurich made it clear that pre-tests and quizzes need to provide feedback to the learner, or they are worthless.  I feel like this is an example of the lack of immediate and accurate feedback, which diminished the value of the learner outcome overall.  Do you think the test results were enough for me to have gained real knowledge of the information covered each week?

The particular component that seemed to make the materials less effective, was the way in which the questions were formed in an attempt to confuse the learner.  This resulted in choosing the wrong answer more often than it should have.  Toward the end of the semester this became more obvious, and I began to read the questions with the thought in mind to pay particular attention to the way they were worded.  This detracted from focusing on what was learned in the resources and instead I would pay more attention to the way a question was put and let that be more of a factor in my choice.  Mary Herring develops more student-centered lessons in higher education, and projects that demonstrate student learning.  Learning elements that would have assisted in this process include appropriate and immediate feedback for learners when taking tests and quizzes.  Tips for online learning include, “Rich and rapid feedback” and recommend “frequent and substantial feedback from the instructor” (Van Duzer, n.d. p.4).  That experience reminds me also of how unavailable the instructors were at the university I attended prior to Walden and made me doubt their credibility.  The portfolio, as opposed to a routine test as a form of assessment, is much more indicative of what a student may be capable of when it comes to real world experience.  To me this is what gets the learner the job and pays the bills.

 

 

 

References

Van Duzer, J. (n.d.) Instructional Design Tips for Online Learning.  Adapted by Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology.  Retrieved from http://ctlt.tnstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/instruction-design-tips.pdf

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). The ADDIE model: the development stage. [Video Podcast] [with Mary Herring]. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EIDT/6100/CH/mm/eidt6100_instructional_design.html

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Chapter 3. Learner and contextual analysis. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 63.

 

Piskurich, G. M. (2005) Rapid instructional design: Learning ID fast and right. Chapter 5, Doing it right: development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.