Instructional Design 101

I have been blessed in the past to be taught and coached by masters in at least one instructional design model out there today. At UTMB we used this model. It is a five step model and I have included a link below to a VERY good site for those that are interested in more info. Many course/class developers use this model. It is their "bible". It has six elements even though it is called the five phase model. You will see why below where I have included a recap...The Design phase has two elements.

The model provides focus for six elements:
1.Analyzing the need for instruction (needs analysis), curriculum requirements, and the limitations and resources available for instruction. ANALYZE PHASE
2.Analyzing the instructional goals, learners' needs, and their prior knowledge (entry level skills). DESIGN PHASE
3.Constructing assessments (as you consider goals, learners' needs, and prior knowledge). DESIGN PHASE
4.Determine instructional strategies and select instructional media that best facilitates student understanding of new knowledge and supports the instructional strategies. DEVELOPMENT PHASE
5.Implementing the design: teaching/learning experience and student understanding (assessments). IMPLEMENT PHASE
6.Examining the actual lesson or course you designed: evaluate the connection between goals and understanding, effectiveness of instructional strategies and media. Revise for the next course or lesson. Revise for the next time you teach the class. EVALUATE PHASE

Link to source site: The Five Phases of Instructional Design

I have been using this model for over fifteen years. I have used it when I teach/taught all levels and ages of adult learners at UTMB and Habitat for Humanity and beyond. Yes, I am not perfect and I often forget a step. BUT, I never forget the last step...EVALUATE. I will let any and everybody who breath on the course evaluate the course but the most important people to evaluate the course are the students who attend the course. If you don't evaluate you can't correct. If you can't correct, you can't offer the students what they want to learn and how they want to learn it.

I have taught thousands and thousands or courses. In a new course, like the one I taught last week. The first thing I do when the course starts is evaluate the students to see what their level of aptitude is for the material I plan to present and correct on the spot if I am over or under teaching to their level. I had to do that this week. Every student in the class already had an email address. At the time, the class was designed for complete computer newbies. People who do/did not even have mouse skills. So, right on the spot, I did a course correction. Thank God...or the course would have really been a bigger set of problems...or is that opportunities.

As I mentioned earlier, the course blew up in our faces the second half of the first day of a planned two-day class. Each day was planned for two hours of class with a work day in the middle if things went wrong or someone wanted/needed extra help. I mentioned to the students and helpers that this was a prototype class just before they took their first break...thank God. I even wrote it on the white board.

My friend Barry, helper and club VP was in the class. He and I are still not sure what happened but we could have overloaded the computer club network and/or the Google Gmail system. We even had a plan for not overloading the computer club network. But, you know what they say about plans...

I usually don't have to make a MAJOR course correction in the middle of a class but this class was the exception. From now on, I or one of my helpers will set up all Google Gmail addresses ourselves or the student(s) can work with me before the class to set up their own. The student(s) can not come to class or end the first day without a working Gmail address. Some of my classes are only one day long and the class is designed for computer newbies like I said.

So, yes, the instructor gets to design and evaluate on the spot if necessary. But, one thing I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave out of my courses is the EVALUATE phase. It is absolutely necessary for your students to tell you what they thought and help make the class better or different if necessary. Sometimes things are SSSooooo bad that the instructor needs to re-design on the spot and get'r done.

Thank you God for having me have the experience and calm to recover from this course both during and after the course. It was a prototype course and will never be the same again...ever, ever, ever!!! Not because I say so, or the club says so but because my students say so. After all, the students are the ones that really matter. They are either paying their time and/or their money to attend the class and hopefully learn something new.

Hope this sheds some light on the instructional design model.

In joyful partnership,

Cathy

cathy.the.teacher@gmail.com