ASSIGNMENT 3

CREATING AN INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

By
LESLEY-ANN BLACKBURN
ID#806007929

A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements of EDID6503: Instructional Theories,
Models & Strategies

University: The University of the West Indies Open Campus

Course Coordinator: Dr. Camille Dickson Deane
Course Facilitator: Dr. Camille Dickson Deane

In the field of Instructional Design, Instructional models provide a

graphical representation of the design and development of instruction.
Generally, models can help us conceptualize our task so that we can
examine the processes more closely and find ways for improvement,
where necessary. This paper will seek to apply the ADDIE Model to the
Educational technology Team as they carry out their function of
providing training to the ends users of the University of the West
Indies. In the final analysis, the development of a new model will be
put forward to help refine the design and development of training
undertaken by the team each semester.

The educational technology department at the University is a 6-man

team charged with driving technology use and integration at the
University. The team works virtually providing technical assistance and
troubleshooting to faculty, staff and students for the Learning
Technologies currently used that is, Learning Management System,
Web Conference System and E-portfolio System, among others.

The

team is service oriented and thus is not heavily involved in the design
and development of curriculum at the University though some design
and development is undertaken for the production of training materials
to end users. Since the Campus is virtual, the team relies heavily on
communication tools such as Skype and Google chat as well as email
to keep in touch with each other and their clients and as a means of

providing support and technical troubleshooting. A simple organization

structure of the team is as follows:

Edtech
Support
2
Edtech
Support
1

Edtech
Support
3

Educationa
l
Technologi
st

Figure

Edtech
Support
4

1:

Edtech
Support
5

Educational technology Team Organizational Chart.

The educational technology teams core duties are as follows:

Learning Environment Support

Provide support as directed by the Educational Technologist Supervisor,

for the effective operation of all websites and supporting operating
systems and software that is used to support the Universitys online
learning environment.

Training

Provide training as a means of supporting end users use of the various

technologies at the campus.

Support to Curriculum Development and Delivery

Support Curriculum Delivery in the creation, uploading and testing of

online courseware.

Technical Assistance

Provide technical support to other members of the department on all

matters related to the operation and growth of the Universitys online
learning environment.

Learning Environment Testing

Test new online learning tools that will enhance student learning,
increase peer-to-peer and student-instructor interactions and support
the effective distance and online delivery of all courseware.

The educational technology team is constantly providing training and

support to its end users to ensure that they build capacity and grow
their individual skill level. Support takes place online and requires the
Ed Tech support to provide clear, and detailed step by step directions
on how to perform a particular task or achieve a particular goal.
Likewise training also takes place online and provides the end users
with a demonstration of the tool and practice by the participants. In
light of this, the educational technology team depends heavily on
direct instruction as its main instructional strategy. Training content is
chunked according to the attendees skill level, for example basic,
intermediate and advanced, and demonstrated to the attendees.
Attendees then have the opportunity to practice these skills within the

session and ask questions for clarification. Simulation is encouraged on

a small scale. This allows the facilitator of the training session to ask
participants to provide them with examples or scenarios that they
encounter in their roles as examples for the training session. In that
sense, the attendees have a real world example, which they can then
apply in their respective courses.

The departments preparation and handling of training mimic a

systems oriented model.

According to Gustafon and Branch (2002),

systems oriented models typically assume that large amounts of

instruction (usually an entire curriculum or course) will be developed
with substantial resources being made available to the team (pg. 45).
While the team is not responsible for creating large amounts of
instruction, this can be translated into large amounts of courses and
training that are required to be developed each semester for end users
at the University.

Of all the systems models, ADDIE is the one that is currently used by
the educational technology team in their preparation of training.

graphical representation of the ADDIE Model is provided below.

Analysis

Evaluation

Implementatio
n

Design

Development

Figure 2: ADDIE Model

The team first begins by consulting with the Instructional Design

Coordinator (IDC) to determine what sort of training lecturers require.
Decisions for training may also arise out of evaluation meetings with
Programme Directors, based on their experiences with the lecturers.
The suggested session is then designed and developed by the
educational technologist who will be carrying out the training session.
The training session is then advertised to the target group and
delivered.

Unfortunately due to the size of the group and the

timeframe in which these sessions are carried out, evaluation of the

training session is not carried out. Rather evaluation of the lecturers
skill takes place and this occurs long after the training has been
completed.

The team has been given feedback that more simulation should be
encouraged in these training sessions, as opposed to direction
instruction, to ensure maximum retention by the attendees. However
this currently has its benefits as no one strategy can apply to all
scenarios.

There has also been criticism that lecturers are not

effectively using the tools demonstrated in their teaching and learning.

Their use is very minimal and they frequently report minor technical
issues to the support team or require refresher sessions even after
training.

In order to address these concerns, the educational technology team

has decided to re-assess how they will design and conduct their
training by using the SM-ADDIE Model. This model is yet another
systems model which means that the team will not be reinventing the
wheel but rather fine tuning some aspects of their procedures. It
combines the strategy element of the Smith and Ragan model as well
as the ADDIE Model. The use of this model will help the educational
technology team focus on creating activities to make their training
session more interactive and provide end users with more real world
scenarios. In that sense they are able to infuse more simulations in
their sessions while demonstrating the effective use of the tool.

Analysis

Implementati
on

Strategy

Development

Figure 3: The SM - ADDIE Model

In the SMADDIE model, Analysis remains the same where the learners
and their environment will be assessed. The educational technology
department will also include the learners context, that is, the courses
that they teach so that they can identify examples based on their
subject matter during training. During the strategy phase, the team
will look at which instructional strategies to choose based on the type
of training that will be conducted. In some instances, a demonstration
might be the most suitable option while in other instances; a
combination of demonstration and simulation will work to provide users
with the right exposure to the tool. In deciding the strategies the team
will also create the assessments or activities that users will be required
to perform during a session. For example, for web conferencing

software training groups of five will be sent to a breakout room and

given 15 mins to discuss and create an activity in which the tool can be
used to foster group work and collaboration during an online session.
Each team will then debrief and present their findings. In this way, the
participants get the exposure of using break out rooms and also
brainstorm activities that they could use in their own web conferencing
sessions.

The slides and any other training materials will be developed during
the development phase and then the session will be carried out in the
implementation phase. The lack of a full-fledge evaluation phase has
been removed since the team will seek to get level one feedback at
the end of the session. Full evaluation of the training will take place by
the IDC department who will also examine the lecturers technology
skill level.

The SMADDIE Model is not much different from the current model that
is being used by the educational technology team. The former clarifies
some of the processes of the educational technology team as they
design their training. It also allows them the room to incorporate
different strategies that can be used in the session to make it more
interactive and rewarding for the learner.

In retrospect, I was able to take a moment to review whether the

current model was effective and see clearly the areas in which
improvement was necessary. As I am still new to the roles and
responsibilities of the educational technology team, it also allowed me
to ask questions of the current model; questions that were not always
answered because of the challenges with the current model as well as
challenges within the team.

In the final analysis, this model will

provide a more solid road map for the design and development of
training for end users.

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Reference
ADDIE Model. Retrieved from:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/history_isd/addie.html
Gustafon, K. L., & Branch, M. R. (2002). Survey of Instructional
Development Models. (4th Edition). Syracuse: Eric Clearinghouse
on Information & Technology.
Smith, L. P., & Ragan, J. T. (2004). Instructional Design. (2 nd Edition).
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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