Design Thinking and ADDIE: Analysis
June 6, 2024
June 6, 2024
Introduction
The ADDIE Model is a set of guidelines designed to aid in the creation of various learning materials for students of all ages and adult learners. The model comprises five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. While this is an excellent guideline for course creation, the Inclusive ADDIE Model expands upon it by ensuring that designers, faculty, and subject matter experts (SMEs) take diversity, equity, and inclusion into consideration. The Inclusive ADDIE Model, developed by Chis Gamrat, Sonia Tiwari, and Saliha Bekiroglu, builds on the phases of the original ADDIE Model. Nested within each phase are approaches that integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the Inclusive Model, analysis is explored through introspection, needs, and context; design through lessons and understanding; development through supporting structures; implementation through interactions; and evaluation through values and evolution.
Analysis
During the analysis phase, instructional designers, faculty, and SMEs should engage in self-reflection, examine learner needs, and analyze the educational context. This is achieved by practicing introspection, understanding learner needs, and considering the broader educational environment. Analysis establishes the instructor-learner relationship, and like all good relationships, both parties should understand their roles. The purpose of analysis is not simply to study the learner and their course but to develop a relationship with ourselves and the learners within the context of our academic, professional, and social environments.
Design Thinking Analysis
Design thinking provides us with various tools to implement in the design process, one of which is human-centered design. According to Don Norman in The Design of Everyday Things, “Human-centered design (HCD) is the process of ensuring that people’s needs are met, that the resulting product is understandable and usable, that it accomplishes the desired tasks, and that the experience of use is positive and enjoyable” (2013, p. 219). We design not what we think is needed but what is actually needed, and we cannot arrive at what is actually needed without first understanding the learner’s problem and how to solve it. Using the analysis phase in the Inclusive ADDIE Model, we can identify why we need to design instruction and what problem we seek to solve.
Introspection
Instructional designers cannot create the best material if they are not in tune with the problem that is facing the learner or the institution. However, they also cannot provide the best instruction and course design unless they have come to understand their place in the academic setting and their social environment. Gamrat et al. (2022) write, “Deep introspection will allow you to evaluate students’ current capabilities and may help to influence the decisions you make throughout the course” (Inclusive ADDIE: Initial Considerations for DEI Pedagogy, p. 8). In other words, in order to provide effective design, it is crucial to have a solid understanding of students in the program. But before we can reflect on our students, we must first be open to reflecting on ourselves. Self-reflection can serve as the foundation of design thinking when creating learning experiences. When we self-reflect, we understand our place in the design process and become more adept at identifying problems and finding the right solutions.
According to Gamrat et al. (2022), this reflection culminates in the instructor’s and designer’s worldview because it is their worldview that allows them to impart cultural influence. Arriving at this worldview requires an understanding of one’s professional and personal identity (p. 8). For example, if our worldview is shaped by our religious background, this worldview will be influenced by our personal sensibilities. Understanding that we may have an unconscious bias toward certain cultural issues because of our background is what introspection seeks to achieve. Not everyone will hold the same sensibilities, and the designer’s job is to understand that their professional and personal identities impart a specific worldview and that this worldview can influence their students. The purpose of introspection is to minimize personal bias and develop openness.
Learner Needs
Introspection involves reflecting on our needs and defining our place in the world, while analyzing the needs of learners involves understanding. Knowing one’s place in the world can better help meet learner needs and expectations. Gamrat et al. (2022) write, “Analyzing and understanding the student population at the course, program, and academic college levels can help you improve communication” (p. 9). Increasing our understanding of the population will improve how we impart knowledge to our learners. Knowing the demographics of our learners is crucial. Using the available data and our interactions with students can help us create personas that accurately reflect their demographics. While personas should not replace the interpersonal relationships that need to be formed, they do provide valuable information to instructional designers. Our personal introspection and how we perceive ourselves, not just in our professional setting but in the larger world, can serve as an example for students who may be seeking to find themselves in an academic setting while neglecting their own rich cultural backgrounds. The purpose of understanding the needs of our student population is not just to provide them with course materials but to advise them in a broader context.
Contextualizing the Problem
Our being-in-the-world and our ability to understand our students’ needs are of great value to their overall development as professionals. It is important for us, as instructors and people of cultural influence, to have contextual knowledge that can aid in our students’ professional development. Before we can provide knowledge, we must be well-versed in the holistic context of our students’ education and their place in the world. For example, we must know how difficult a test may be, what the workload means for students and faculty alike, and how we are positioned to make a positive change. This is the larger contextual analysis required to fully include the necessary resources that will leave students prepared to learn.
Conclusion
Designing inclusive learning experiences requires an understanding of the Inclusive ADDIE Model. When we reframe it with design thinking principles such as human-centered design, we can design efficient and effective learning experiences that take into account our being-in-the-world, the needs of students, and the holistic context. We have to find the right learning problem and apply the correct solution through our analysis, which involves personal introspection, learner needs, and environmental context. Using this method allows us to design diverse, equitable, and inclusive content that solves the correct learner problem.
Bibliography
Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things. Basic Books.
Gamrat, C., Tiwari, S., & Bekiroglu, S. O. (2022, March 10). Inclusive ADDIE: Initial considerations for DEI pedagogy. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2022/3/inclusive-addie-initial-considerations-for-dei-pedagogy
Introduction
The ADDIE Model is a set of guidelines designed to aid in the creation of various learning materials for students of all ages and adult learners. The model comprises five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. While this is an excellent guideline for course creation, the Inclusive ADDIE Model expands upon it by ensuring that designers, faculty, and subject matter experts (SMEs) take diversity, equity, and inclusion into consideration. The Inclusive ADDIE Model, developed by Chis Gamrat, Sonia Tiwari, and Saliha Bekiroglu, builds on the phases of the original ADDIE Model. Nested within each phase are approaches that integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the Inclusive Model, analysis is explored through introspection, needs, and context; design through lessons and understanding; development through supporting structures; implementation through interactions; and evaluation through values and evolution.
Analysis
During the analysis phase, instructional designers, faculty, and SMEs should engage in self-reflection, examine learner needs, and analyze the educational context. This is achieved by practicing introspection, understanding learner needs, and considering the broader educational environment. Analysis establishes the instructor-learner relationship, and like all good relationships, both parties should understand their roles. The purpose of analysis is not simply to study the learner and their course but to develop a relationship with ourselves and the learners within the context of our academic, professional, and social environments.
Design Thinking Analysis
Design thinking provides us with various tools to implement in the design process, one of which is human-centered design. According to Don Norman in The Design of Everyday Things, “Human-centered design (HCD) is the process of ensuring that people’s needs are met, that the resulting product is understandable and usable, that it accomplishes the desired tasks, and that the experience of use is positive and enjoyable” (2013, p. 219). We design not what we think is needed but what is actually needed, and we cannot arrive at what is actually needed without first understanding the learner’s problem and how to solve it. Using the analysis phase in the Inclusive ADDIE Model, we can identify why we need to design instruction and what problem we seek to solve.
Introspection
Instructional designers cannot create the best material if they are not in tune with the problem that is facing the learner or the institution. However, they also cannot provide the best instruction and course design unless they have come to understand their place in the academic setting and their social environment. Gamrat et al. (2022) write, “Deep introspection will allow you to evaluate students’ current capabilities and may help to influence the decisions you make throughout the course” (Inclusive ADDIE: Initial Considerations for DEI Pedagogy, p. 8). In other words, in order to provide effective design, it is crucial to have a solid understanding of students in the program. But before we can reflect on our students, we must first be open to reflecting on ourselves. Self-reflection can serve as the foundation of design thinking when creating learning experiences. When we self-reflect, we understand our place in the design process and become more adept at identifying problems and finding the right solutions.
According to Gamrat et al. (2022), this reflection culminates in the instructor’s and designer’s worldview because it is their worldview that allows them to impart cultural influence. Arriving at this worldview requires an understanding of one’s professional and personal identity (p. 8). For example, if our worldview is shaped by our religious background, this worldview will be influenced by our personal sensibilities. Understanding that we may have an unconscious bias toward certain cultural issues because of our background is what introspection seeks to achieve. Not everyone will hold the same sensibilities, and the designer’s job is to understand that their professional and personal identities impart a specific worldview and that this worldview can influence their students. The purpose of introspection is to minimize personal bias and develop openness.
Learner Needs
Introspection involves reflecting on our needs and defining our place in the world, while analyzing the needs of learners involves understanding. Knowing one’s place in the world can better help meet learner needs and expectations. Gamrat et al. (2022) write, “Analyzing and understanding the student population at the course, program, and academic college levels can help you improve communication” (p. 9). Increasing our understanding of the population will improve how we impart knowledge to our learners. Knowing the demographics of our learners is crucial. Using the available data and our interactions with students can help us create personas that accurately reflect their demographics. While personas should not replace the interpersonal relationships that need to be formed, they do provide valuable information to instructional designers. Our personal introspection and how we perceive ourselves, not just in our professional setting but in the larger world, can serve as an example for students who may be seeking to find themselves in an academic setting while neglecting their own rich cultural backgrounds. The purpose of understanding the needs of our student population is not just to provide them with course materials but to advise them in a broader context.
Contextualizing the Problem
Our being-in-the-world and our ability to understand our students’ needs are of great value to their overall development as professionals. It is important for us, as instructors and people of cultural influence, to have contextual knowledge that can aid in our students’ professional development. Before we can provide knowledge, we must be well-versed in the holistic context of our students’ education and their place in the world. For example, we must know how difficult a test may be, what the workload means for students and faculty alike, and how we are positioned to make a positive change. This is the larger contextual analysis required to fully include the necessary resources that will leave students prepared to learn.
Conclusion
Designing inclusive learning experiences requires an understanding of the Inclusive ADDIE Model. When we reframe it with design thinking principles such as human-centered design, we can design efficient and effective learning experiences that take into account our being-in-the-world, the needs of students, and the holistic context. We have to find the right learning problem and apply the correct solution through our analysis, which involves personal introspection, learner needs, and environmental context. Using this method allows us to design diverse, equitable, and inclusive content that solves the correct learner problem.
Bibliography
Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things. Basic Books.
Gamrat, C., Tiwari, S., & Bekiroglu, S. O. (2022, March 10). Inclusive ADDIE: Initial considerations for DEI pedagogy. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2022/3/inclusive-addie-initial-considerations-for-dei-pedagogy
