Instructional Design Models; ASSURE, Dick & Cary and Gagne & Briggs

Similarities and Differences between Instructional Design Models: Comparison between Dick & Cary, ASSURE Model, and Gagne & Briggs.

Definition of Instructional Design Model

Instructional design can be described in many ways. Commonwealth of Learning, Use and Integration of Media in Open and Distance Learning (1999) described it in terms of stages that facilitate learning; 1- Identify the purposes of learning vis-a-vis learning objectives. 2-

 Develop the learning experiences to achieve learning objectives. 3- Evaluate whether the learning experiences effectively achieved its objectives. 4- Improve the learning experiences where necessary.

Briggs et al (1991) summarized instructional design as systematically applying a set of principles to achieve effective, efficient, and relevant instruction. Dick et al (2001) described it as a systematic approach for the design, development, implementation and evaluation of instruction

Below is a brief look at the three models;

The ASSURE Model

This model was developed by Heinich, R, Molenda, M. Russell, J. and Smaldino in 2001. Their six letters -acronym model is ASSURE that is A:  Analyze learners characteristics. S: State objectives. S: Select methods of instruction, media or design materials. U: Utilize media and materials. R: Require learner response. E: Evaluate and revise.

During Analysis, the instructor looks at the learners’ characteristics and entry competencies if any. The objectives Selected include activities and the instructor sets conditions of degree of acceptable performance. In Selection of materials, the instructor chooses the most appropriate methods and materials and where necessary new materials can be designed. In Utilizing the media and the materials the instructor prepares learners and starts instruction. During the ‘Require learner response’ the instructor allows them to practice and then he gives feedback. Finally, in Evaluation, the instructor assesses students learning whether or not there was any effective impact and assesses the instruction if there were any loopholes.

However, Shariffudin (2007) held the view that ASSURES Model phases may not entirely rely on the lecture notes or textbooks. The instructor may, where necessary, out- source relevant materials and technologies before or during the instruction.

 The Dick and Carey Model

This instructional design was developed by Dick & Cary in 1996. The quick noticeable difference between ASSURE Model and Dick & Cary Model is that the former looks simpler whereas the later is rather more complex because of many phases involved.

 Source:  Sherri Braxton's site on Instructional Design Models (2008)

The information about this model has been largely the descriptions of Hee-Sun & Soo-Young (1996) from the multimedia classroom presentation (Software Design & Authoring) at the   University of Michigan.  This is an 8-phase model described in a flow chart and table (Braxton, 2008). It starts with a instructional goals and ends with evaluation (Hee-Sun & Soo-Young,1996). The following phases make up the Dick & Cary Model (1996). 

1- Instructional Goals (Identify Instruct Goals). The instructor has to make the needs analysis to identify any loopholes between the goals of instruction and the available learning conditions.

2- Instructional Analysis (Conduct Instruct Analysis). The purpose of this phase is to identify the probable skills involved in the instruction that will lead to the desired goals. It has mainly three analyses; The task analysis enlists steps and skills in each step sequentially. The information processing analysis describes the mental ability of the learner to take the skills. The learning task analysis stipulates the purpose of instruction that involves intellectual skills (Hee-Sun & Soo-Young, 1996).

3- The entry behaviour and learners’ characteristics (Identify Entry Behaviours). The aim of this phase is to find out whether the learner brings in class any prior knowledge and skills that are related to the instruction. Such skills can be intellectual skills, abilities like verbal explanations and spatial knowledge like visual images such as art, sculptors, graphics (Eggen & Kauchak, 2001 cited in Roblyer, 2003 p.71) and also whether the learner brings in class any personal innate behaviour.

4- Performance objectives (Write Performance Objectives). The aim of this phase according to Hee-Sun & Soo-Young (1996) is “to translate the needs and goals into specific and detailed objectives” The instructor has to check whether or not the lesson plan is in tandem with the instructional goals. In this case, he/she has to assist learners in class for better learning outcomes.

5- Criterion-Referenced Test Items (Develop Criterion-Reference Tests). This phase aims at establishing the learners’ abilities to learn new skills, monitor the results of learners during the learning process, and provide feedback to learners and parents. Between criterion-referenced test items and instructional analysis, the instructor has to keep on revising the instruction for better performance.

6- Instructional Strategy (Develop Instruction Strategy). Here, the Instructor states clearly how the instructional activities will achieve the desired goals. This can be achieved if the instructor; knows his/her students better, knows the activities involved in each step and the objectives therein and also the effectiveness of the teaching techniques. The instructor can choose a mode of delivery either teacher-centred or learner-centred.

7- Instructional Materials (Develop & Select Instruct Materials). The purpose of this phase is to select appropriate materials and media for the intended instructions. The instruction uses available materials or develops new ones if need be.

8- Formative Evaluation (Develop & Conduct Formative Evaluation). This phase generates data that helps to improve the instructional design model. Such data can be collected by interacting with the learners through say interviewing individual learners or groups (small or big). This evaluation intends to improve the design in terms of among other aspects; modes of instruction and instructional materials involved.

9- Summative Evaluation (Develop & Conduct Summative Evaluation). This is the final phase of Dick & Cary (1991) model which assesses the instructional design model in totality. The instructor may go through all phases to determine effective performance in both short and long run.

In summary, the Dick & Cary model breaks instruction into different components to facilitate learning. It discusses how skills and knowledge can be imparted through these components. The evaluation component is divided into two; the formative and summative evaluations to make nine phases.

The Gagne-Briggs Design Model (1985)

It is a cognitive theory-based model that is made up of three phases namely, 1- Determine objectives. 2- Determine sequence. 3- Create the external events of learning (Aronson, D.T.& Briggs, L.J. 1983).

Objectives of the model; the instructor determines the appropriate learning outcomes from among the five; 1-verbal information (the ability to recite knowledge from memory). 2. Intellectual skills (the ability to engage in problem solving using instructional rules). 3. Cognitive skills (the ability to engage in problem solving by creating instructional rules). 4. Attitudes (learner behaves in a way that shows he has acquired a new value). 5. Motor Skills (performing a given task) Critchlow ( 2004).

Determine sequence; these are learning hierarchies that describe the content. Learning occurs when the instructor builds learning hierarchies based on the last learning objective. This helps him/her to determine the intellectual skills a learner should have mastered before he/she learns a new skill. Therefore, there should be prerequisites at each level which determine the sequence of the instruction that leads to the next level. This presupposes that each learning outcome is associated with its own precondition.

Create the external events of learning. Since the internal events signify what the learner had mastered at the previous level, the external conditions are the aspects that the instructor has to prepare during instruction (Driscoll, 2000).

In this theory model, events of instruction trigger the internal processes in order to realize appropriate learning out comes (Campos, 1999). Gagne, Briggs, & Wager, (1988) described them as a set of communication to the learner that enhances the learning process. They include; calling attention of the attention.  Informing the learner about the objectives of instruction and expected outcomes. Ask the learners to recall the previous knowledge. Start the actual instruction. Guide the learners. Ask for the learners’ responses. Give learners due feedback about their performances. Assess the learners’ performances. Give learners more activities for more practices.

The similarities

The similarities are reflected in the functions of instructional design which Briggs et al (1991) summarized as systematically applying a set of principles to achieve;

       1-Effective

       2- Efficient and

       3- Relevant instruction.

However, the following are some of the  basic features all models share for learning instruction (Thompson, 2001 as cited in Shariffudin, 2007).

1. Needs assessment.
2. Goal and objective identification.
3. Audience and setting analysis.
4. Content and delivery development.
5. Evaluation.

Differences between the three models

ID Model	Phases	Testing entry knowledge	Evaluation	Learning theory indicated	Learning outcomes	Determine performance abilities of the learner before next level
ASSURE	6	Entry competencies	General	Not given	practice & feedback	sets conditions of degree of acceptable performance
Dick & Cary	8	Criterion-reference tests	Divided into Formative & summative	Not given	Keep on revising the instruction for better performance.	learner brings in class any prior knowledge and skills
Gagne & Briggs	3	Learning hierarchies based on the last learning objective.	General	Cognitive theory	Determines five learning outcomes as well as nine events.	Determines abilities of the learner before the next level