What is the purpose of the ADDIE model in HR?
HR and training managers can use the ADDIE model as a training design tool to plan, coordinate, and simplify the creation of efficient learning and development initiatives within their company. The ADDIE training paradigm was created in the 1970s, but because of its simplicity and exceptional efficacy, it is now the most often used model for educational design.
To help you start using the ADDIE model immediately, we’ll discuss the model’s definition in detail, its benefits and drawbacks, and several real-world examples in this post.
What is the model known as ADDIE?
The process of designing, creating, and delivering educational information is known as instructional design. ADDIE remains one of the most popular learning development models. Organizations frequently use the ADDIE model to create training, learning, and development initiatives.
ADDIE is an acronym for:
- Analyze
- Design
- Develop
- Implement
- Evaluate
The learning and development process has five stages. A coaching session, presentation, information booklet, online or offline training program, or any combination can be used to deliver an effective learning product. The ADDIE training model offers a simplified, structured framework to assist you in creating one.
Offering a holistic approach to learning, ADDIE assists in identifying the learning need in an organized manner and guarantees that all learning activities contribute to that objective. Since job practices, knowledge, and abilities are precisely defined inside the framework, they also serve as a guide for assessing the success of learning.
Every step in the ADDIE model needs to be completed in the correct order and thoroughly thought out before proceeding. At every level, reflection and criticism guarantee ongoing progress.
The ADDIE model’s goal
The ADDIE model provides a methodical approach to developing successful and efficient training programs, acting as a fundamental framework for instructional design. Businesses employ the ADDIE model in their training design process for a variety of reasons:
- Putting instructional design into an organized process: The ADDIE model offers an easy-to-follow, phase-by-phase framework that leads program creators through developing educational materials. It guarantees that they consider and handle every important component of instructional design.
- Aligning the lesson plans with the learning objectives: You can increase the likelihood that the learning objectives will be reached by fully aligning all teaching materials and activities with the ADDIE model’s analysis phase.
- Encouraging data-driven decision-making: The ADDIE model facilitates data-driven decision-making by methodically gathering and evaluating data at every turn. This enables trainers to make well-informed modifications that improve the learning experience.
- Encouraging clear and effective communication between interested parties: The ADDIE model, which offers a shared framework, encourages clear and productive communication between educators, designers, and learners—all parties participating in the instructional design process.
- Encouraging ongoing progress: The ADDIE model’s evaluation phase enables gathering input and information regarding the training program’s efficacy. It offers chances for ongoing enhancement and ensures that the instruction remains valid and important.
- Developing expertise in instructional design: Over time, educators and instructional designers can develop their knowledge and abilities through continual evaluation and improvement. This results in better instructional materials and more successful teaching methods.
Benefits and drawbacks of the ADDIE framework
Like all models, the ADDIE model has several benefits and drawbacks even though it is regarded as a top learning development model.
Benefits of the ADDIE Framework
- Adaptability: The ADDIE instructional design methodology can be applied in various fields, businesses, and educational settings. It may be customized for individual and group learning and projects of varying sizes.
- Consistency: The ADDIE training paradigm offers an organized and consistent method for creating instructional designs, which can increase productivity and consistency in the caliber of courses created.
- Opportunities for repetition: Because ADDIE is an iterative approach, it permits modifications and feedback at every level of creation to guarantee that the finished output satisfies the intended learning objectives.
- Evaluation component: The ADDIE model includes an evaluation component that enables companies to gauge how effective the instructional material is. That helps pinpoint important areas that need to be improved for subsequent iterations.
Drawbacks of the ADDIE Model
- Linear process: The ADDIE approach may not be sufficiently flexible or creative to fulfill complex learning needs due to its linear procedure.
- Resource-intensive: Applying the ADDIE paradigm to teaching and learning can be a time-consuming procedure involving a substantial investment of resources. Smaller businesses with fewer resources could find it difficult to adopt.
- Absence of focus on user experience: The ADDIE model places little emphasis on user experience, even though businesses are increasingly paying attention to the digital employee experience, especially in training. This may result in employees learning ineffectively and receiving boring teaching.
The ADDIE model’s five phases
In more detail, let’s examine the five stages of the instructional design process: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate.
Analyze
The first step in the ADDIE model is identifying the problem you are attempting to solve. Perhaps the issue is low sales, an inhospitable culture, or a deficiency of competencies to transition to a more technologically advanced company. From this, you can determine which is the primary business issue and whether training is the best way to address it or if other approaches to organizational growth will work better. Instructional designers must also identify and manage the demands of stakeholders.
The following are some useful questions to consider:
- What is the training’s objective?
- Why should we carry it out?
- What change is intended?
- Will the training bring about this transformation?
The training needs analysis (TNA) process aids in determining the difference between the required and actual set of skills, knowledge, and competencies during the “Analyze” phase. You can use these results to establish learning objectives and design the training with them in mind.
Choosing a target audience is essential at this stage. One or more trainee “personas” that resemble your target audience’s general traits, expertise, and life experiences can be constructed. You can actively manage these, customize the material to your audience, and make it more relatable if you know their requirements and expectations.
Setting specific, quantifiable learning objectives and having a firm grasp of your intended audience is critical to the success of any ADDIE model implementation. Anchal Dhingra, Learning Consulting Manager at AIHR, says this supports content creation and guarantees that learners accomplish their desired training outcomes.
You can also create a resource map for the training based on all the data acquired during the “Analyze” phase. This covers the training hours, time, required spending, resources, and further details.
After gathering all this data, you may draft a comprehensive training plan covering the training’s essential information.
Design
All the data gathered during the “Analyze” phase is converted into a learning design during the Design stage of the ADDIE model.
The learning intervention is organized into an outline, with specific learning goals for every workshop or class. This will cover the following: a plan, lessons, length, assessment, and feedback, as well as delivery modalities (such as blended, online, and offline).
During this stage, you also decide on the best evaluation technique from the learning design perspective. There are various ways to measure effectiveness using Kirkpatrick’s approach.
Not every instruction is appropriate for all levels of measurement. For more basic training, measuring responses to the instruction may be sufficient. Just five percent of all training—especially high-investment training that addresses a crucial business issue—justifies a comprehensive effect analysis or training Return-on-Investment (ROI) assessment (Philips, 2003).
Making a storyboard or prototype is the next phase to make explaining the training’s benefits easier, especially to stakeholders. Informing and updating stakeholders on the learning objectives and decisions regarding the learning design during this stage is crucial. Before proceeding to the next stage, ensure you align with them.
Develop
During the “Develop” stage, you will design your courses using your storyboards or mockups as a reference. The primary learning objectives have already been determined, so it’s time to start implementing the training now.
Think about the delivery method of the training: online, in-person, or a combination of both (blended approach). What mediums, techniques, and instructional strategies will be used? Learning interventions often employ various techniques and approaches to impart the material.
After making this decision, you can consider whether to work with an outside vendor or construct something internally. Selecting the venue and required software and equipment (such as an LMS, vendor’s platform, or video calling software like Zoom) are equally crucial.
The tools we use to generate learning content change because technology is always changing. Nevertheless, despite these developments, the ADDIE paradigm has endured as a timeless foundation for instructional design. This is because the ADDIE process outlines the essential procedures required to create a learning program, which is applicable regardless of the technology or tools used.
The ADDIE model offers a structure for creating and implementing successful learning programs that have withstood the test of time, even though particular tools and techniques may differ. It should be no surprise that ADDIE has evolved into the global standard for producing educational content.
During the development phase, most work focuses on building the learning product according to the design. This component might be outsourced to a subject matter expert trainer or a knowledgeable training business. Assuring that the learning product complies with design parameters and TNA findings is the responsibility of the instructional designer.
Once your course has been produced, proofread it for spelling, punctuation, and navigation mistakes. This is more about the content’s correctness and the navigation’s usefulness than just clicking through the course. Can the student advance through the course in the manner that you intended? Is it interesting? How long is it?
Conduct product reviews and pilots wherein you and other participants test the training contents and learning product. You could want to ask users to rate the training using online resources like Qualtrics or Survey Monkey.
HR Advice: When adopting the ADDIE paradigm, ensure your training materials include interactivity and engagement. Activities, tests, and simulations can help achieve this by reinforcing learning and giving your students a more engaging learning environment.
Creating a communication plan to reaffirm the value of learning to your audience is the last phase. How can you motivate them to focus their time and energy on learning? How can you assist them in managing their primary job tasks while helping them prioritize this at work? Making the learning front and center will increase its impact and require a clear communication strategy.
It’s time for implementation after the development phase ends so that training can start!
Implement
Project management and training delivery are the main priorities of the implementation phase. These include interacting with students, organizing the program’s logistics, gathering data, and preparing instructors for the program’s international rollout.
The most important component of this phase is the training delivery. Do the students require any additional manuals or guides? What about frequently asked questions that might arise? What should happen if consumers run into technical issues while receiving training? It seems sensible to have extra IT help available and advise students on whom to contact.
Are supplemental programs that give students more help than what is offered in the primary program necessary? These can include webinars to enhance learning and address any queries the students may have, as well as weekly one-on-one or group coaching.
Are there any physical modifications that need to be made to the workplace for specific training activities? For instance, extra signs, banners, or decorations that reaffirm the main points taught.
It’s time to let your students know about your course or training. Most of the time, courses are uploaded to an LMS, which has pre-configured delivery options, including reporting, tracking, and delivery, as well as options for who can enroll, how often they pass, and how to collect feedback. However, this will rely on your decisions during the design stage.
Consider how you might draw attention to the new learning program and highlight the appropriate behaviors. Ensure you notify students before the program’s start and end dates.
Various techniques can be employed for training assessment, contingent upon the decisions taken during the analysis stage. These may consist of pre- and post-training tests, sometimes involving a control group and training evaluation forms. Questionnaires, interviews, observations, work evaluations, 360-degree feedback, and statistics on work production are often utilized devices. A portion of these tasks come within the evaluation phase, which comes next.
Evaluation
In the ADDIE model, evaluation is a crucial component of each step but has its own phase. You want quick (and ongoing) feedback after your first workshop or course so that you can make the necessary modifications.
Evaluation is crucial at every stage of the program’s creation, development, and implementation, as well as ongoing. There will probably be comments and inquiries following your initial training session that weren’t noticed beforehand. Improving the training right away will come from taking care of these.
You can formally assess the learning program during the evaluation phase using post-assessments, findings, or performance statistics. These sources will all highlight the knowledge gained, the applications made, and the outcomes attained.
The learning design team should assess what worked well and what still needs improvement. Prior to the next training, compile a list of the program’s enhancements and implement them. Even if the software is discontinued, you can document these enhancements so that the lessons learned will not be forgotten when the same or comparable program is utilized.
Determine the extent to which the goals and objectives from the analysis stage were met by your initial training based on your formal evaluation. Provide your stakeholders with a report on these findings and ask them if they were happy with the training course. This will provide you with great ideas for future courses.
Examples of ADDIE models
Education for sales representatives
This sales representative training plan sample is centered on honing interpersonal, searching, presenting, and negotiating abilities. Infographics and other visual aids will keep the learners interested, while training techniques like role-playing will reinforce these abilities.
Analysis stage:
- Determine whether sales personnel in particular need training (based on disappointing sales figures or other problems that have occurred).
- Establish the training’s learning objectives, such as enhancing negotiation, emotional intelligence, communication, or product knowledge.
- Determine that the sales personnel are the training’s target audience.
- Examine the current sales staff and note any knowledge or skill deficiencies.
Design stage:
- Create a training program focusing on teaching strategies and resources to meet the learning objectives.
- Create instructional resources such as presentations, training manuals, and other materials to further the learning objectives.
- Establish the evaluation procedures and create tools to gauge the training program’s effectiveness.
- Determine the logistics and training program, including the total number of sessions, their length, and the times of each session.
Development stage:
- Create any multimedia, films, or images required for the training material. Create role-playing games and other interactive training program components.
- Examine and improve the course material considering stakeholder input.
- Pilot test the training material and make any changes that are needed.
Implementation stage:
- Give the sales representatives their training sessions.
- Throughout the sales training, provide the learners with any assistance or criticism they require. Monitor their development and deal with any problems as they arise.
Evaluation stage:
- Get the sales team’s opinions on how effective the training was. Examine the evaluation results to find any knowledge or skill gaps.
- To assess the training’s efficacy, compare the representatives’ sales figures before and after.
- Adapt the training as needed considering the evaluation’s findings.
Training in public speaking and presentation skills
Enhancing public speaking abilities, such as communication, clarity, audience connection, voice projecting, tone of voice, note-taking, building an interesting slideshow presentation, and body language, will be the main goals of this sample employee training plan.
Through instruction techniques, including in-person practice sessions, trainees will develop these skills. They will also receive additional theory instruction to learn what constitutes a strong presentation.
Analysis stage:
- Determine the necessity for specialized training for those who, as their careers grow, will have to talk to large audiences or who have previously battled to control their nervousness or provide engaging presentations (managers can offer advice on their teams).
- Establish the training’s learning objectives, such as enhancing body language, voice projection, communication skills, and audience connection.
- Anyone frequently required to present to large audiences should be identified as the training’s target audience. Examine the available resources for public speaking and note any knowledge or skill deficiencies.
Design stage:
- Create a training program focusing on teaching strategies and resources to meet the learning objectives.
- Create instructional resources such as presentations, training manuals, and other materials to support the learning objectives.
- Establish the evaluation procedures and create tools to gauge the training program’s effectiveness.
- Determine the logistics and training program, including the number of sessions, their length, and the times of each session.
Development stage:
- Make any films, multimedia, or images required for the training material. Create in-person activities and other interactive components that will be incorporated into the training curriculum.
- Examine and improve the course material considering stakeholder input.
- Pilot test the training material and make any necessary changes.
Implementation stage:
- Give the staff their training sessions.
- Throughout the public speaking training, provide the students with any assistance or criticism they require. Keep an eye on their development and deal with any problems as they come up.
Evaluation stage:
- Get input from the staff regarding the success of the training. Examine the evaluation data to find any knowledge or skill deficiencies.
- To assess the efficacy of the training, compare the employees’ confidence level when making presentations before and after it.
- Adapt the training as needed considering the evaluation’s findings.
Best practices for using the ADDIE model
Here is an overview of the best practices for using the ADDIE model in teaching and education as efficiently as possible:
- Analyze in detail before designing: Start with a thorough investigation to understand the demands of the students, the issues that need to be resolved, and the classroom setting. This basis guarantees that the instruction is pertinent and focused.
- Establish measurable, unambiguous goals: Set quantifiable, unambiguous learning objectives that correspond with the identified needs. This clarity directs the development process and aids in assessing the efficacy of the instruction.
- Use an ADDIE model template to track tasks and progress: By assigning tasks to team members clearly and monitoring progress through each phase, using an ADDIE model template can greatly improve project management. This method fosters effective communication, prompt completion, and early problem detection, resulting in a well-organized and productive project process.
- Include adaptable and imaginative approaches to instructional design: To accommodate a variety of learning styles and intricate learning requirements, incorporate creativity and flexibility into your curriculum while preserving structure. This strategy can improve participation and meet a range of learning difficulties.
- Take advantage of the ADDIE model’s iterative nature: Gather input and make sensible corrections at every turn. This iterative process can continuously improve and refine the training program.
- Use technology wisely: Make wise choices when using technology, choosing resources that improve learning without overloading or alienating users. Keep abreast of developments in educational technology to identify creative solutions that support your training objectives.
- Create a solid implementation plan: Create a thorough implementation plan that addresses all logistical issues, such as learner support systems, facilitator training, and technological setup, to guarantee a seamless deployment.
- Perform thorough evaluations: Go beyond gauging learning objectives and assess how the training has affected employee performance and organizational objectives. Contribute to a culture of ongoing learning and growth by using these findings to guide future training programs.
Rapid instructional design vs. ADDIE
The ADDIE model process’s speed—or rather, lack thereof—is its greatest disadvantage. The input for the subsequent step is the output of the preceding phase, comparable to the conventional “waterfall” approach. The instruction and content requirements may change during the lengthy process of this technique, resulting in a mismatch between the final outcome and the initial incentive for beginning the process. One potential remedy is rapid instructional design.
Rapid instructional design is a more flexible method of instructional design. It is founded on rapid development methods applied to teaching and learning and comes from the software development industry. Until the program is finished, new elements are introduced and continuously assessed.
The objective is to develop a proof of concept (POC) and solicit input from stakeholders or learners through ongoing interaction. Until the product is completed, this input is then included in the subsequent Proof of Concept. In five steps, rapid instructional design is completed:
- Definition: a preliminary description of the needs and learning objectives
- Prototyping: Quickly creating a proof-of-concept prototype
- Evaluation: After discussing the prototype with key players, aims and requirements are gradually improved and adjusted following the Proof of Concept.
- Implementation: Using an improved POC with the modified objectives and specifications.
- Repeat: Continue doing steps 2-4 until the learning objectives are met.
This iterative strategy is based on the build-measure-learn concepts widely applied in the rapid methodology.
This iterative procedure is depicted in the figure below. Prototypes are created quickly and always align with the project’s objectives and plans. It is not unusual to go through several iterations in a given phase. For instance, before proceeding to the design prototype, you may need to iterate the outline (perhaps multiple times) if it does not meet user needs.
A case in point would be one of AIHR’s HR upskilling initiatives. The training uses a hybrid style, with monthly meetings tailored to the learners’ needs interspersed primarily with online instruction. These sessions give students challenges and assignments to accomplish and encourage them to finish the online course. They always have to do with organizational problems and evolve throughout time in response to demands. This results in a program that enables staff members to implement what they’ve learned and eventually impact the business while helping them upskill and solve organizational problems in these offline seminars.
To sum up
The ADDIE approach can effectively accomplish learning objectives and enhance individual and group learning in learning and development projects across sectors and disciplines. Because of its iterative development process, you may get crucial feedback at every stage. This ensures that the final result fulfills your initial learning objectives and assists you in identifying important areas for future improvement.