Smith and Ragan ID Model

ID Model
Mark Jones
EDTC 5753

Smith and Ragan ID Model

The Smith and Ragan instructional design model is an example of systematic instructional design. The Smith and Ragan ID model has three primary phases: analysis, strategy, and evaluation. These phases are conducted in series, however the events within each phase may happen in various orders, and even concurrently.

The analysis phase is when as much information as possible is determined about the learning environment, the learners, and the learning task. While analyzing the learning environment, a needs assessment may be used to determine the actual need for instruction, and what direction that instruction should take. A context analysis is conducted to gather information about the learning environment. This step helps to answer questions about the setting for the instruction, those who will deliver the instruction, how the instruction fits with other instruction already developed, and what resources are available for the instructional media.

During the learner analysis, four categories of characteristics are considered: learner similarities that are either stable or change over time, and learner differences that are either stable or change over time. Learner characteristics might be cognitive (aptitude, reading level, prior knowledge, etc.), physiological (age, gender, sensory perception, etc.), affective (interests, motivations, anxieties, etc.), or social (ethnicity, socioeconomic background, relationships with peers, etc.).

When analyzing the learning task, the following steps are generally followed: 1) the learning goal is written, 2) the types of learner of the goal are determined, 3) an information-processing analysis of the goal is performed, 4) prerequisites are identified, as well as the type of learning of the prerequisite, 5) learning objectives are written for the learning goal and each prerequisite, and finally 6) the exam questions or specifications are written. In the prior list, the “types of learning” is the desired learning outcome. The type of learning may be declarative knowledge, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, psychomotor skills, or a combination of these types, known as a learning enterprise. The information-processing analysis of the goal, and the prerequisite analysis of what was identified from the information-processing analysis are the steps that determine the content of the instruction. From this information, performance objectives can be written, as well as the assessment that will confirm that the learner has achieved the desired objectives as well as to evaluate the quality of the instruction. The assessment is usually a performance or a written assessment.

The strategy phase deals with details such as the sequence of the instruction (organizational strategy), media selection and learner grouping (delivery strategy), as well as scheduling and obtaining necessary resources (management strategy). The organizational strategy is intended to select instructional strategies that will most effectively and efficiently present the content to the learners. The instructional strategies selected are directly related to the types of learning identified during the previous phase. Generally, each lesson follows the following stages: introduction, body, conclusion, and assessment. An expanded version of Gagne’s nine events of instruction are followed throughout these four stages.

The evaluation phase is when a formative evaluation of the instruction is conducted. Every aspect of the ID process is subject to review and revision, including the goal, the analysis of learner, context, task, the assessment, etc. Usually, experts are given a draft form of the instruction for evaluation before it is used with learners. Then, in an ideal situation, the instruction is tried out on a test group of learners that are similar to the intended learners. This occurs in three phases, one-to-one, small group, and then field trials. Types of data that are collected and analyzed might include learner performance, learner attitudes towards the instruction, and completion time. Often times, surveys are used to collect much of this data.

Formative evaluation data is analyzed and used to identify problems or weaknesses in the instruction. Once identified, revisions are made to the instruction and then it is reimplemented. In this way, the evaluation process is continual and ongoing, both during the design of the instruction, as well as after it is implemented.

References:

Smith, P., & Ragan, T. (2005). Instructional design. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.