Evaluating Programs and Human Performance Technology

Instructional Design Evaluation

“One of the fundamental components of instructional design models is evaluation.” (Rieser & Dempsey, 2012)

Chapter 10 of our textbook was developed to describe and compare the most influential instructional design evaluation models. In the 1960’s the changes in curriculum and debate over evaluating learning resulted in what we now know today as formative and summative evaluation. (Rieser & Dempsey, 2012) Evaluation is defined as, “the process of determining the merit, worth, and value of things, and evaluations are the products of that process.” (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012 p. 97) With the new changes and thoughts about evaluation that came about in the 1960’s and 1970’s, there were also new evaluation models that were developed into the 1980’s.

In searching for evaluation models, I came across the ADDIE Model and Merrill's Principles of Instruction (MPI).

ADDIE stands for Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. The ADDIE Model was designed in 1975 and was originally designed for the US Army. (Forest, 2017) For many years now, educators and instructional designers alike have used the ADDIE method as a framework in designing and developing educational and training programs. Educators, instructional designers and training developers find this approach very useful because having stages clearly defined facilitates implementation of effective training tools. As an ID model, Addie Model has found wide acceptance and use. The ADDIE Model is made of five steps that must be completed in a linear fashion, completing one phase before starting the next. The stages or phases of the ADDIE Model are:

1. Analysis: The Analysis phase can be considered as the “Goal-Setting Stage.”
2. Design: In the design phase, the focus is on learning objectives, content, subject matter analysis, exercise, lesson planning, assessment instruments used and media selection.
3. Development: In this stage, designers make use of the data collected from the two previous stages, and use this information to create a program that will relay what needs to be taught to participants.
4. Implementation: The implementation stage reflects the continuous modification of the program to make sure maximum efficiency and positive results are obtained.
5. Evaluation: This phase can be broken down into two parts: Formative and Summative. (Gutierrez, n.d.)

I believe that I already use an Instructional Design Model that mirrors The ADDIE Model very closely. In all of my planning for instruction these are the many steps that I take from creating to implementing to evaluating. I believe The ADDIE Model is easy to follow and understand. In my opinion, the Evaluation stage of instructional design is one where do not spend enough time. If more time was spent on evaluating instruction and its effectiveness, we could build stronger more balanced instruction for our student's.

Finally, Merrill’s Principles of Instruction (MPI) was developed in 2002 by David Merrill. MPI is also known as the First Principles of Instruction. MPI integrates five principles of learning:

1. Task/Problem-Centered – Students learn more when the instruction is centered on relevant real-world tasks or problems.
2. Activation – Students learn more when they are directed to recall prior knowledge.
3. Demonstration – Students learn more when new knowledge is demonstrated to them in the context of real-world tasks or problems.
4. Application – Students learn more when they perform real-world tasks or solve real-world problems and receive feedback on and appropriate guidance during that application.
5. Integration – Students learn more when they are encouraged to integrate their new knowledge into their life through reflection, discussion, debate, and/or presentation of new knowledge. (First Principles, 2017)

There is a growing research in support for Merrill's First Principles of Instruction. MPI is similar to other task-centered theories in that it uses real-world problem solving for instruction. I believe that MPI can be of great use in the classroom because our students learn better when learning through real-world experiences. There is little value in instruction that would not happen in the real-world and does not connect to our students.

Return on Investment and Resource Management

Chapter 11 of our textbook starts by explaining that today we must ensure that monetary resources are put to best use by allocating them to programs that have the greatest Return on Investment- ROI. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012) I believe that ROI should most definitely be considered when evaluating instructional programs. Our district's funds for instruction are very limited and precious. In regards to evaluating programs that are costly, return on investment should be evaluated. For instance, if an instructional program that is very costly is implemented in a district but students are not successful when evaluating the program, the program should be discontinued. I also believe that management of resources is an important factor to consider. If the resources are available for implementing a new instructional program and there is no need for purchasing or spending funds to for implementation, the districts save money while using the resources that they have already purchased. Return on investment and resource management are very critical to our district today.

Fun fact:

Human Performance

In Chapter 14, our textbook states that the terms human performance improvement and human performance technology are synonymous. “In one sense, human performance improvement is what we wish to achieve and human performance technology is the means we use to achieve it. “ (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012, p.137) A situation that comes to my mind, is an experience I had with a student last school year. This student was extremely defiant and, for lack of better words, out of control. I have never experienced a student that I could not control. I had to do a lot of reflecting and looking at what procedures, expectations, rewards, and consequences that I had put into place in my classroom. After a lot of research and reflection, I came to the conclusion that I was not doing enough for this student. He simply was not one to comply with what I had in place so I had to change and do something different for him. In looking at ways that I could improve myself, I was able to help him improve his behavior. It took a while to get into a new routine for he and I, but we both used tools and strategies that helped him follow directions in school. In closing, sometimes looking at yourself and where you can improve as the instructor is more important than what you think the student needs to improve on. Which leads me to one of my favorite quotes:

First Principles of Instruction. (2017, June 07). Retrieved June 20, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_of_Instruction

Forest, E. (2017, March 09). ADDIE Model: Instructional Design. Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://educationaltechnology.net/the-addie-model-instructional-design/

Gutierrez, K. (n.d.). A Quick Overview Of Four Instructional Design Models. Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/top-instructional-design-models-explained

Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012).Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 3rded. Boston: Pearson.