Developing Instructional Materials
Developing instructional materials is the next step in the instructional design process. Instructional materials refers to any preexisting materials being incorporated, as well as those materials developed specifically for the objectives. All instructional materials should be accompanied by objective tests or by products or performance assessments.
Overview of Instructional Materials Development
Goal-centered criteria: focus on the content of instruction, and instructional analysis documents provide a basis for determining the acceptability of the content in various instructional materials. Specific criteria include:
Context-centered criteria: include the authenticity of the materials for settings and budget.
Materials can be evaluated to determine whether they include:
Materials should also be judged of their technical adequacy, according to criteria related to:
Steps to the Development of Instruction
- Compromises in delivery system and media selection based on availability of existing materials, cost constraints, and the instructor's role.
- A clear conception of what the materials should include and how they should look.
- Decisions about whether to adopt or adapt existing materials for use in the instruction.
- Rough draft materials and the management information needed for formative evaluation.
Goal-centered criteria: focus on the content of instruction, and instructional analysis documents provide a basis for determining the acceptability of the content in various instructional materials. Specific criteria include:
- Congruence between the content in materials and your terminal and performance objectives
- Adequacy of content coverage and completeness
- Authority
- Accuracy
- Currency
- Objectivity
Context-centered criteria: include the authenticity of the materials for settings and budget.
Materials can be evaluated to determine whether they include:
- Preinstructional materials (e.g. performance objectives, motivational information/activities, prerequisite skills)
- Correct content sequencing and presentation that is complete, current, and tailored to learners
- Student participation and congruent pact exercises
- Adequate feedback
- Appropriate assessments
- Adequate follow-through directions that enhance memory and transfer
- Adequate learner guidance for moving student from one component or activity to the next
Materials should also be judged of their technical adequacy, according to criteria related to:
- The delivery system and media formats
- Packaging
- Graphic design and typography
- Durability
- Legibility
- Audio and video quality
- Interface design, navigation, and functionality
Steps to the Development of Instruction
- Review the instructional strategy for each objective in each lesson.
- Review analysis of the learning context and assumptions about resources averrable for developing materials. Reconsider the delivery system and the media chosen to present the materials, to monitor practice and feedback, to evaluate, and to enhance learner memory and transfer.
- Decide on components of the package of instructional materials.
- Survey the literature and ask SMEs to determine what instructional materials are already available.
- Consider how to adopt or adapt materials.
- Determine whether new materials must be developed. If so, go to Step 7. If not, begin organizing and adapting available materials, using the instructional strategy as a guide.
- Review analysis of learners. For each lesson, consider the instructor's role in facilitating instruction and determine the degree to which the instruction is self-paced, group-paced, or mixed.
- Plan and write the instructional materials in rough draft form based on the instructional strategy.
- Review each completed lesson or learning session for clarity and flow of ideas.
- Using one complete instructional unit, write the accompanying instructions to guide the students through any required activities.
- Using the developed materials in the first inexpensive rough draft, begin evaluation activities.
- May either develop materials for the instructor's manual as you go along or take notes as you develop and revise the instructional presentations and activities. Using the notes, write instructor's guide later.
This video is a good demonstration of the process of instructional design including the development of the instructional materials. The video uses the ADDIE model to describe the process.
Reflections
It is exciting to be at almost the end of the instructional design process. I am curious to see what this looks like in a real world instructional design problem and the length of time it takes to develop instruction from start to finish. It seems like this would depend on not only the project, but also who the client is. It also seems like creating the instructional materials could be time consuming especially if there were no existing materials that could be adopted or adapted.
It is exciting to be at almost the end of the instructional design process. I am curious to see what this looks like in a real world instructional design problem and the length of time it takes to develop instruction from start to finish. It seems like this would depend on not only the project, but also who the client is. It also seems like creating the instructional materials could be time consuming especially if there were no existing materials that could be adopted or adapted.