ASSURE Instructional Design Model for Effective eLearning

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Creating an online learning course that engages and impacts learners with diverse needs is not easy. It's not just about putting together the course material, research, or other information you find through different resources.

The content has to meet certain course objectives while keeping the course structure fun and exciting. This is where you need the ASSURE instructional design model.

The ASSURE instructional design model was designed by Heinrich and Molenda in 1999. The model enhances the learning experience by incorporating multimedia and technology into the course. 

Take a look at how the model can be applied to an LMS platform like Coursebox and how it can benefit both the learners and the organization.

What is the ASSURE Instructional Design Model?

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The ASSURE model comprises six steps. ASSURE is an acronym that helps you plan, deliver, execute, and evaluate your course structure and material to make it more effective.

The most common use of the model is to integrate multimedia and technology in the learning process, which is one key strategy for tailoring your content for your audience with diverse needs.

Here is the breakdown of its six constituents.

A - Analyze Learners

The learners are the foundation of the ASSURE model and so it is designed around their needs. 

Hence, the first thing you need to do is look into the learners' traits. You need to know everything you can about them, such as their age, background, demographics, existing knowledge and skills, educational levels, and whether they have any learning difficulties or special needs.

You may use various methods, such as surveys and assessments, to discover these important aspects and design your lesson plan based on their preferences and requirements.

Another thing you need to be aware of is the learners’ specific learning styles. If the learners have disabilities, you should provide them with auditory, visual, and tactile assistance where possible. Remember, the course should be equally accessible to everyone in the best way possible.

Coursebox makes things easy. One glance at the analytics will give you all the details about where each learner stands. You will know whether they are struggling to keep up or are excelling in their current courses. You can meet them wherever they are and design the course around their needs.

 S – State Standards and Objectives

Next, you need to clearly state the goals and objectives so there's no ambiguity.

You need to know what you expect the learners to achieve at the end of the course. For instance, if your goal is for each learner to be able to use MS Excel by the end of a particular training, you should integrate this into the LMS platform.

Coursebox has automated analytics and other features that integrate and align the objectives with the learners’ progress. These features allow you to see how well each individual is performing based on their performance metrics.

Many people set their goals using the SMART method, which means that they are checked on five aspects: they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound. 

You should know which skills and knowledge you want the learners to acquire during the course. It will serve as a guideline for setting realistic goals relevant to the course material.

Some other managers go by the ABCD technique for setting goals, where:

• A is the Audience or people for whom you are designing the objectives.
• B is the Behaviour or the expected outcome for these people.
• C is the Conditions under which the behavior or performance is being measured.
• D is the Degree of knowledge or skills the learners will master in the course.

S – Select Strategies, Technology, Media, and Materials or Methods

Next, you need to decide which method of instruction you will use to deliver your content.

If your lessons are instructor-led, i.e., given by instructors, you must use presentations, lectures, and other demonstration methods.

But if you are taking a more learner-centric approach, you should have more group discussions or team meetings. Once you have decided where to focus, you can choose the right technology and tools for the teaching method. 

For instance, you can use different tools, such as multimedia, PDF files, videos, audio files with captions, etc., to effectively deliver content to your audience on Coursebox for the instructor-led approach.

However, using the learner-centric method, you can give your learners more teamwork activities, host discussions on discussion boards, or include group projects in the curriculum. Both approaches can be adopted on the LMS platform.

You can also make part of the course learner-centric and part of it instructor-led.

U – Utilize Technology, Media, and Materials

Next, you must plan how to use the methods you selected in the previous step.

To ensure that, you must review the selected technology and media and check if everything runs smoothly. Your lessons should be free of lags or glitches.

You must also prepare the teaching environment to facilitate learning and keep learners informed. This means they should be given the material and know the course objectives. 

You also need to inform them about the assignments that will be conducted and how they will be graded. If there are any quizzes or other projects they need to complete, you must tell them explicitly about them.

Upload all your material onto the LMS and organize it into specific modules. Make sure the interface is clear, user-friendly, and easy to navigate.

Next, you need to prepare the environment. 

The surroundings or environment should be conducive to learning. For instance, in a physical setup, there should be no noise, and if you are delivering the courses online, the learner should easily be able to access the material, take classes, and use the platform.

R – Require Learner Participation

Then, you must determine how to keep your learners engaged and involved in the teaching process. One way to do this is to make participation mandatory in all class discussions.

Encourage your students to ask questions or, even better, let them present different themes for analysis. 

Use the gamification tools like live polls, peer reviews, or discussions on the forum and encourage participation.

E – Evaluate and Revise

Now, we come to the last step: Here, you'll see if your entire course material and all of its constituents, such as the assessments, multimedia videos, etc., are effective in delivering the message and meeting your goals. If they aren't, you need to make the necessary corrections.

You may have to add more media files, change the tech or tool used to deliver the course, or revisit the teaching methodology to make necessary corrections.

Learner feedback is important at this stage as it'll help you improve your strategy. Part of it concerns how well the course met the learners' progress, goals, or skills. 

So, to get a general idea, take surveys, send feedback forms, or post general suggestions via discussion forums.

See if your learners are satisfied with their experience and then share their feedback.

You can use several tools for this step. Coursebox has built-in surveys, quizzes, and performance metrics that you can use to improve and enhance the learning experience for everyone on board.

Benefits of the ASSURE Model 

The ASSURE model makes each individual's learning experience personal and engaging. Its success is attributable to the many benefits it brings to users.

Let's take a look at a few benefits of applying the model in your organization:

Learner Focus

The model is focused on learners. All learners actively remain engaged throughout the process. They are also clear about what is expected of them and how they will achieve their learning targets.

Varied Instruction

Since various instruction materials and methods are used, you get endless options to optimize the entire learning process. This way, you can make it more customizable and relevant to your learners while allowing them to learn with individual lesson plans catering to their differing needs or preferences.

Importance of Evaluation

The ASSURE instructional design model allows you to improve and update your content by continuously evaluating it. You will also gather input or feedback from the learners via assessments and discussion boards, and that feedback will guide you in enhancing and facilitating their learning.

You will also be able to monitor their progress via evaluation and analytics and make necessary amendments to the course structure in real-time.

Wrap Up

The ASSURE instructional design model is a powerful tool for creating engaging, effective, and personalized lesson plans for learners. Using it in your LMS platform, you can create quality content that promotes and delivers active learning and keeps learners and educators informed about the goals and expectations from the learning program.

The best part is that the ASSURE instructional design model can be easily integrated into an LMS platform like Coursebox. You can find all the tools you need to design an interesting and practical course for your learners.

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