Selected Instructional Design Models and Their Effectiveness
For Asynchronous Online Curriculum Development
Elizabeth Kramer
Liberty University / Instructure Canvas
Abstract
This paper looks at the three traditional models of instructional design, their stages, and their adaptability to create
online courses; ADDIE, Dick and Carey, and the Kemp models. It also examines the ITD model and the use of
learning objects as two examples of instructional design models that were created specifically for online learning.
Learning methods and resources have been on the earth as long as man has been around. However, the field
of instructional design, the field that actually focuses on how people learn and how best to instruct people, has only
been around since the 1960’s (Willis, 2009). Instructional design is defined as a system using learning theory that
creates specifications for the development and implementation of learning experiences, materials, and environments
(Whitmyer, 1999). An even more recent development in educational pedagogy is the explosion in online learning.
Instructional design for online learning has some unique characteristics that differentiate it from traditional
instructional design (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).
The Indiana Partnership for Stateside Education (IPSE) recommends guidelines for online course creation
in “Guiding Principles for Faculty in Distance Education” (Simonson et al., 2012). A few of these guidelines are:

The most effective instruction has a consistent format and is equitable for all students among all
courses provided by that institution.

Learning activities are closely tied to the desired learning outcomes and all materials, technology,
and activities lend themselves to the success of the student achieving these goals.

The materials, instruction, intentions, and incentives of the course are clearly understood by the
learner (Simonson et al., 2012).
The most widely known and used instructional design models are the ADDIE model, the Dick and Carey
model, and the Kemp model. But how well do these traditional models of instruction follow the IPSE guidelines or
other recommendations for online instructional design? Do they accommodate the online learner? Are there newer
and better models that have been developed for online learning?
The Big Three
ADDIE
ADDIE is an acronym form Analysis (A), Design (D), Development (D), Implementation (I), and
Evaluation (E). ADDIE was originally developed for military instructional design and has been modified over the
past 40 years. There is a concern that the ADDIE model is being widely used as a loose guideline rather than a
linear systematic design model (Chevalier, 2011). This could be due to the fact the model is rigid and not flexible
enough for online instructional design. ADDIE does not take into account the learner’s environment or acknowledge
that it is probably very different from the instructor’s.
In the analysis stage an instructional designer sets instructional goals by determining the desired newly
acquired skill set or knowledge of the learner. Also, in the stage, specific steps are decided upon to achieve the
instructional goals. Learner analysis is also performed; the instructional designer determines the background
knowledge of the learners and starts there to work toward achieving the instructional goals.
In the design stage the instructional designer designs the assessments, determines the course layout, and
determines a strategy that will be used to conduct the course. Assessments are designed prior to the content design
to give the instructional designer an outline of what the learner is working towards mastering. Also, in this stage
consideration is given to the resources and learning environment.
During development a trial version of the materials is given to a test class. The feedback is then shared with
the teacher or client for who the materials are being created. After receiving the feedback from the trial class and
the feedback from the teacher or client, course materials are updated, revised and final materials are created.
There are many steps within the implementation stage. The person who created the materials may conduct
train-the-trainer courses; it is very important that the person who will actually be teaching with the materials is very
familiar with them. It is also crucial to ensure that the instructor is familiar with the software and technology to be
used and that the student’s background knowledge is adequate for using the resources and materials that will be
provided.
The last stage is evaluation. This refers to the evaluation of the course and its effectiveness from the
perspective of the learners and the instructor, not evaluation of the students. Formative and summative evaluation
should be used throughout the course to evaluate the students. Feedback received from students and the instructor
and is evaluated and used to update course materials for future courses.
Dick and Carey
The Dick and Carey model is based primarily on learner behavior and is an excellent instructional design
approach for direct instruction methodologies (Willis, 2009). How does that fit with online course creation? Dick
and Carey has been effectively used to create courses for online learning. One example, a course designed for flight
attendants to ensure their competence in passenger safety, used the Dick and Carey model to design WebCT courses
in conjunction with Gange’s theory of hierarchical learning (Bani-Salameh, Abbas, Kabilan, & Bani-Salameh,
2010).
There are ten stages in the Dick and Carey Model. In stage one; identify instructional goals, the
instructional designer focuses on and researches the intended learning outcomes (ILO). The instructional designer
may ask questions such as, “What task do we want the learners to be able to complete when the course is complete?”
Stage two; conduct instructional analysis, is the point in design when the instructional designer assesses the learning
environment. In stage three, the instructional designer identifies entry behaviors of the learners. Stage four is to
write the performance objectives for the course. In stage five of the Dick and Carey model the instructional designer
develops the criterion reference tests. Stage six is the point where the instructional strategy is developed. This is
where the “meat” of the course is developed. Develop and a select instructional material is stage seven. Stage eight
is to design and conduct formative evaluation of instruction. Stage nine is the stage used to design and conduct
summative evaluations. Lastly, Stage ten evolves from stages eight and nine to revise the course.
KEMP Model
The Kemp model approaches instructional design from a different viewpoint than the two previous models.
The Kemp model sees instructional design as a nonlinear process. This method is better suited for large course
design and works well with creation of large online learning modules and is not so well suited for smaller very
detailed courses (Kranch, 2008).
There are nine stages of the Kemp model, but the instructional designer can enter the instructional creation
process at any point in the model. As mentioned before, it is nonlinear. The stages are: determine learner needs,
determine the topics, tasks, and procedures, analyze the learner characteristics, content analysis, determine learner
objectives, design the teaching and learning activities, determine instructional resources, determine available support
services, and design the evaluations.
The stages are more detailed than previously mentioned models and focus on the whole learner. In stage
one, determine the learner needs; the instructional designer focuses on the broad concepts and skills that need to be
acquired by the learner. The instructional designer will answer questions such as: What tasks should the learner be
able to accomplish once instruction is complete? What new knowledge should the learner have a fluent
understanding of when the course is complete? Or which ILOs do we hope to achieve? Stage two is to determine
topics, tasks, and procedures. Instructional designers look at the germane cognitive load, the learning styles, and the
learning needs of the learners. Stage three, analyze the learner characteristics, is the stage similar to stage three of
the Dick and Carey model and analysis stage of the ADDIE model. This is a very important stage, as it gives the
instructional designer a starting point to begin the course development.
Stage four, content task analysis, is where the Kemp model looks at the whole learner and determines at
what level the learner should understand the new material. Blooms taxonomy gives a good outline to determine at
what level the learner is expected to process the new information. Stage five, determine learner objectives, is similar
to sage one of the Dick and Carey model and looks at the ILOs for the course. The instructional designer evaluates
the broad goals and transforms them into specific objectives. In stage six, the activities are designed that will be used
to facilitate the course. In stage seven, the instructional resources are determined; what is needed for the teacher to
teach and the learners to learn? Stage eight is unique to the Kemp model as it takes into consideration the support
services that are available to the teacher and the learners. It looks at the need for a technology support person or a
special education assistant. Lastly, stage nine is similar to the other two models as it focuses on the formative and
summative evaluations (Spector, Merrill, Van Morrienboer, & Driscoll, 2008).
Other Models Proven Effective for Online Course Design
Three-Dimensional ITD Model
In the Three-Dimension ITD model, ITD stands for Information, Technology, and Instructional Design.
This instructional design model is to facilitate the conversion of an in-person course to an online course. There are
three phases; the course feasibility study, the course design and development, and the course evaluation (Wolfe, Da,
& Li, 2009).
The information stage focuses on the learning content, the resources, and the materials. In previous models
these procedures were broken out into three or four different stages. The technology stage emphasizes the hardware
and software tools that will be used for instruction. Lastly, the instructional design stage is the pedagogy stage of the
model (Wolfe et al., 2009).
In the article, Applying ITD Model For Online Course Design And Development, Wolfe and Zhou (2009)
demonstrate how to use the ITD model to convert an in-person course into an online course. All three stages had to
be used to create an effective online course, it would be ineffective to pick and choose the stages while converting
the course.
In the information stage, all resources were uploaded in the learning management system (LMS) used by
the university, Blackboard. This included the syllabus, the materials, and the contact information of the professor.
They also included internet resources and a grade book section (Wolfe et al., 2009).
The technology stage focuses on the hardware and software needed for the course. For this course, the
students took a preliminary quiz to determine if they had access to the minimum hardware required and possess the
software skills necessary to participate in the course. This course was designed to be asynchronous and
communication would be via email and discussion boards within the LMS (Wolfe et al., 2009).
Learning Objects
Learning objects are defined as a digital learning items that focus on a single topic or ILO and have the
potential to be reused in different situations (Weller, 2007). There is a lot of talk about learning objects and many
repositories full of learning objects, but very few examples of their use (Weller, 2007). Learning objects would not
have been a feasible method for creating instruction prior to the use of the internet. Prior to the internet, professors
and teachers created courses locally by consulting fellow teaching professionals but really had no method for
sharing materials with a professor or teacher in Bangkok, Thailand or Sydney, Australia. The internet has made the
world a much smaller place where the ability to share teaching materials globally is not only possible but preferable
by many educators, especially those supporting the open source movement.
By using learning object and sharing them we are able to create high quality resources that may be
expensive to produce, but when used by several universities the cost per use goes down drastically. However, there
is wide concern that the learning objects currently available vary greatly in academic quality. Also, it can be difficult
for instructional designers to find learning objects that fit their specific needs. There is hope that the open
educational resource (OER) movement will help to improve available learning objects as universities make their
courses and materials available online for free (Weller, 2007).
Conclusion
In conclusion, many instructional design models are available for use in the creation of online courses,
while all are adaptable to a degree, some are better than others. The models that allow for flexibility or are
specifically designed for online course creation are the best to follow in online instructional design.
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