Instructional Design Models

Instructional design is a process that makes sense of training programs — breaking them down and creating them with a clear analysis of production needs and some well-tested knowledge transfer methods. Unlike ad hoc training development, instructional design uses structured models to turn training into measurable skill improvement and clearly defined learning goals.

What are Instructional Design Models

An instructional design model is a tried and tested framework that tells you how to design a training program. It is part of the overall instructional design process — from identifying required job performance and knowledge, to evaluating training effectiveness and learner outcomes.

Some key characteristics of a good instructional design model are:

• Systematic — each stage is linked together.
• Reproducible — lots of different people can do it and get similar results.
• Focused on results — it’s all about measuring things and getting real production gains.
• Scientifically backed — these models are based on psychology and learning theory.

Instead of guessing, instructional design model enables deliberate planning of learning experiences aligned with real job tasks and measurable business outcomes. Well-chosen, they help you understand where learners are now, where they need to get to, and how training should support that journey. Instead of guessing, you intentionally plan learning experiences that align with real job requirements and business goals.

Modern instructional design models work like flexible templates. You can rely on traditional instructional design models or adapt them to your context — it depends on your constraints, timeline, and budget. The right approach to instructional design directly affects the speed of delivery, the cost of the development effort, and the final outcomes.

A structured design and development lifecycle helps teams select effective instructional methods and appropriate instructional strategies, leading to fewer defects, faster onboarding, and safer operators.

When training is built without instructional design models, the problems are predictable:

• Training is created on the fly, with no clarity on what performance it should improve.
• Employees may complete training but fail to apply skills on the job.
• Each new course starts from zero, repeating the same work.
• There are no defined or validated assessment methods to determine whether training had any real impact.

Using proven instructional design models and structured practices solves these issues. A repeatable development process helps ensure that nothing critical is missed. When training is developed through a consistent design and development process, ensuring that nothing critical is missed. When instructional designers develop training through a consistent process, teams save time and resources instead of constantly reworking content.

As a result, quality improves: instructional designers develop training using proven instructional methods and appropriate instructional strategies, while built-in assessment methods make learning outcomes measurable. Over time, organizations mature their instructional design, scale developing instructional materials, and standardize how instructional design models are applied — creating training that delivers consistent, measurable business value.

Types of Instructional Design Models

All instructional design models can be divided into four categories based on their logic.

Effective Instructional Design Models

ADDIE Model

The ADDIE model is probably the go-to choice for instructional designers, and there’s a reason for that — it just works. ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation — it’s a full-on cycle of instructional design that all makes sense when you think about it.

• Analysis: this is where you really start to get a handle on what you need to do — figuring out the desired performance outcomes, who your target audience is, and what they’re already working with.
• Design: now you get the chance to hammer out the details — the structure of the course, the activities you’re going to include, and the best way to get your message across.
• Development: creation of instructional materials such as videos, checklists, simulations, and assessments.
• Implementation: this is where things start to get real — actually delivering the training course to your audience.
• Evaluation: formative evaluation during development and summative evaluation after implementation.

The ADDIE model seems to do particularly well in places where there’s an emphasis on predictability and accountability.

When to reach for the ADDIE model in your production workflow:

• Maybe you’re dealing with certification programs for people working with hazardous equipment — in that case, predictability is a must.
• Or you’re responsible for occupational health and safety training — here too, clarity and documentation are crucial.
• Then there are those long-term training programs — you know, the ones that have predictable content and are all about building expertise over time.
• And let’s not forget situations where every little detail needs to be documented for audits — that’s when ADDIE really saves the day.

ADDIE limitations:

• Long time-to-market: the initial launch can take months.
• Inflexibility: changes during the Development phase require a return to Analysis.
• Risk of content becoming outdated by the time of release during rapid production modernization.

SAM Model (Successive Approximation Model)

The SAM instructional design modelis an alternative to ADDIE, created by Michael Allen in 2012. The model operates through short prototyping cycles with the constant participation of craftsmen, engineers, and operators.

The original SAM model is called SAM1 and has three stages:

• Preparation: In this first stage, the foundation information is gathered and project expectations are set. Key activities are understanding the audience, defining goals, setting timelines and budget.
• Iterative Design: Creating a design proof (a rough prototype of the instructions or simulation) and testing with a focus group of operators. The cycle of design → feedback from the shop floor → adjustments (usually 3-5 iterations).
• Iterative Development: A more finished prototype is created and tested in this stage. Revisions continue until the product is ready for full release.

When to choose SAM in manufacturing:

• Launching a new production line with uncertain training requirements.
• Need quick feedback from foremen and operators.
• The team works in Agile/Scrum.
• Dynamic content (new technologies, process modernization).

SAM vs ADDIE

Dick and Carey Model

Dick and Carey’s (1978) model breaks down the ADDIE process into a 10-step process with a strong emphasis on finding that balance between where you want to be and the content you actually have to work with, as well as how you’re going to figure out if it’s working.

10 Steps from Dick & Carey:

1. Identifying the Instructional Goal: Think of that one overall goal in mind (for example, “being able to safely run a lathe without making a mess of things”).
2. Do an Instructional Analysis: Break down that big picture goal into a bunch of smaller tasks that come together to make up the whole process (set up, start up, keep an eye on the equipment, shut down, and so on).
3. Get a Handle on Who’s Going to be Learning this Stuff & What Their Reality is Like: What kind of experience and education are the people being trained bringing to the table, and what’s the work environment like (noise levels, lighting, working shifts—that kind of thing).
4. Write Down Some Clear Performance Objectives: Numbers you can actually measure that will show if someone’s getting the hang of it (for example “being able to switch over in 15 minutes without messing up”).
5. Work Out How You’ll Be Assessing Progress: We’re talking multiple choice tests, hands on practice with the equipment and all that.
6. Figure out the Best Way to Teach this Stuff: What methods are you going to use (an old pro showing them the ropes, independent practice under supervision, simulated experience—that sort of thing).
7. Develop Your Instructional Materials: Think along the lines of video tutorials, checklists, interactive diagrams that people can actually use to help them learn.
8. Get Some Feedback From a Small Group First: Try out your stuff with a handful of operators to see if it’s actually any good.
9. Tweak Things Based on What You Heard: Make some changes to what you’re doing and why, to reflect the feedback you got.
10. Final Check to Make Sure This Stuff is Actually Working: One last check to make sure everything is working like you thought it would be.

Peculiarities of the approach:

• Constructive alignment: goals → assessment → content are aligned.
• Backward design: assessment criteria (what the operator should be able to do) are written first, then content is developed.
• Detailed: each step has a checklist and templates.

Application of Dick & Carey in manufacturing: The model is ideal for comprehensive training and certification programs where a transparent link between what is taught and what is tested is important. For example, training operators of new automated equipment or retraining programs for new production standards.

Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction

This model focuses on structuring individual training sessions and modules rather than managing the full instructional development lifecycle. For example, training operators of new automated equipment or retraining programs for new production standards.

Robert Gagné formulated 9 learning events — a universal checklist for the structure of any training module or industrial training.

1. Gain Attention: Video of a real incident, “What went wrong?” question, defect statistics.
2. Inform Learners of Objectives: “Today we’ll learn the correct changeover sequence”.
3. Stimulate Recall: “Remember how we worked on the old equipment”.
4. Present Content: Procedure demonstration, diagrams, instructions.
5. Provide Guidance: Step-by-step guidance, expert advice, tips.
6. Elicit Performance: Practice on equipment under supervision.
7. Provide Feedback: “Correct, but could be done faster” + explanation.
8. Assess Performance: Verification task, test, practical exam.
9. Enhance Retention and Transfer: Summary, workplace checklist, next steps.

This model serves as a template for:

• Video instruction structure for equipment operation (each event = video segment).
• In-person on-site training (event-by-event agenda).
• Micro-learning for work instructions (can be condensed into a 5-minute format).
• Quality assessment of the completed training program (checklist: are all events present?).

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a cognitive skills framework that’s been around since 1956 when Benjamin Bloom put it all together. It is an extremely useful framework for instructional designers when writing measurable learning objectives that are just specific enough and measurable enough to match the level of cognitive skill they’re trying after. And let’s not forget it’s also a great guide for figuring out how to write objectives and assessments that actually matter.

Six different levels of cognitive skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy, ranked from the simple stuff all the way up to the brainy stuff:

1. Remember: basically remembering stuff like what’s the name of a part or in what order you have to do a series of things.
2. Understand: that means being able to explain in your own words why something is so important, like a safety procedure.
3. Apply: and then you get to put it all into action, like actually setting up a machine in real life.
4. Analyze: and then you really get to put your thinking cap on and break things down into their different parts and figure out what’s causing the problems.
5. Evaluate: here you get to be the judge and figure out which options are best based on certain criteria.
6. Create: and finally, you get to make something entirely new like improving a process or suggesting new ideas.

How instructional designers can use Bloom’s Taxonomy:

• When writing learning objectives, use a different action verb for each level.
• Remember: just list off the steps in a procedure, or name off all the parts of the equipment.
• Understand: explain in your own words how something works, or draw a picture of the process.
• Apply: do the setup, or show off your safety precautions.
• Analyze: go ahead and diagnose the problem, or compare different methods.
• Evaluate: see how well someone is performing, or spot all the deviations.
• Create: suggest some changes to a process, or come up with a new action plan.

And when it comes to assessing progress you should match the kind of task with the kind of goal you’re after.

Learning programs that get progressively more difficult: they start off with the simple stuff, like remembering, and gradually work their way up to the more brainy stuff like creating, giving the trainee a gentle push along the way.

Merrill’s Principles of Instruction (MPI)

In 2002, David Merrill formulated 5 principles of effective teaching based on a meta-analysis of instructional design best practices.

• Task-centered: training is built around a real-world production task, not abstract theory.
• Activation: employees recall or observe relevant work experiences.
• Demonstration: skill application is demonstrated in a real-world work context.
• Application: employees practice the skill with feedback from a trainer.
• Integration: employees transfer the skill to their workplace and apply it independently.

Unlike other models, Merrill’s First Principles don’t describe development stages (like ADDIE), but rather define criteria for the quality of learning content. These principles can be easily integrated into any instructional design framework as a checklist for each module.

Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model

The Kirkpatrick model (1959, updated in 2016 by his son Jim) is the standard for measuring learning impact. Four levels of assessment are arranged in order of increasing complexity and value to production.

Expanding the Scope of Instructional Design

Instructional design is evolving with technology and educational practice. Some of the emerging trends and considerations are:

• Technology Enhanced Learning: Technology has changed the learning experience. Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are creating immersive and personalized learning environments. For example, VR can simulate real life scenarios, learners can practice skills in a safe controlled environment.
• Micro-learning: It is delivering content in small bites. This is for learners short attention spans and just in time learning. Examples of micro-learning are short videos, infographics and quizzes.
• Gamification: Gamification is adding game elements to the learning process to increase engagement and motivation. Techniques such as point systems, badges and leaderboards encourage learners to participate and achieve their goals.
• Adaptive Learning: Adaptive learning uses data analytics to tailor the instruction to the individual learner. By analyzing the learner’s progress and preferences adaptive learning systems provide personalized content and support.
• Social Learning: Instructional design can also enable social learning through group work, discussion boards and peer assessment.
• Select Instructional Materials Design: Carefully choose and design instructional materials to ensure they meet the learning objectives and engage learners effectively.

Model Selection: Context Analysis and Combination

There is no single “best” instructional design methodology for manufacturing. The right model depends on the plant context, production goals, and risk level.

Common Instructional Design Mistakes in Manufacturing

FAQ

ProcessNavigation Team

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