Why Agile is Critical in Instructional Design

I know, I know. Where have I been? Life has been a whirlwind these past few months. I’ve been helping some friends going through a rough time. My friends and family always come first. 

Enough about me!

You may be using a third party or designing courseware yourself. Regardless, agile is essiential when doing any instructional design project. The SAM design model has gained tremendous popularity over the years. It’s certainly a great approach. However, I believe that following it to the T is setting oneself up for disaster. 

Personally, I use a method that combines both the ADDIE and SAM approach. I wish I could take credit for  this methodology but I can’t. I have to credit one of my previous supervisors. She’s amazing and one of my biggest role models. 

How do I combine the both? I use the ADDIE approach to determine the training needs and effectively develop the course. At the end of each stage, I ask my subject matter experts to review and approve the materials. I use the ADDIE model to develop my materials. However, I set key milestones along the way where SMEs must review the materials. This method allows them to review the material piece by piece. It also saves me time when providing the final product as changes are minimal. 

Does this seem a little unclear? I am writing this at 9 AM so my brain is mush. Here are the key stages in my development:

  1. Project scope
  2. Course objectives 
  3. Course outline 
  4. Storyboard development (material on first objective)
  5. Storyboard development (material on second objectives)
  6. Continue delivering the storyboard in stages until done. 
  7. Develop final materials (e.g. instruction guides, elearning modules, videos, etc.). I break these into sections. 
I ask SMEs to review each deliverable after each step. Once they sign off on it, we agree to continue with the next phase. Using this approach saves me from developing an entire course, only to have to revise the whole thing. There may be times when I still have to make changes but it’s minimal. 

If my SMEs request a major change, I can easily remind them of the deliverables they signed off on. Typically they revert back to their own ideas or we find a middle ground. Overall, it makes my job slightly easier. 

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