Instructional Design Approach With Dick and Carey Model in Modern Learning

Resourceful learning, whether for educational or corporate purposes, helps learners to absorb information and retain it effectively. You no longer have to cram information in your brain only to forget it later.

Easy-to-grasp material helps you build your concepts and skills. However, retaining content requires simplified methods. The instructional design approach with the Dick and Carey model's framework promotes modern learning. 

What is the Dick and Carey model, how do the components help with instructional design, and how do AI-powered platforms such as Coursebox apply it? Let's look into the model, its components, and its approach towards instructional design with context to create educational experiences. 

Dick and Carey Model | An Overview

Learning products such as online courses, instructional manuals, and video tutorials require instructional design. The instructional design approach not only designs but also develops and delivers the learning simulations that our brains can retain.

The interrelated system of procedures used for developing the instructional training curriculum uses one such design approach through the Dick and Carey model, first proposed by Walter Dick and Lou Carey.

The Dick and Carey Model as a systematic approach model describes the steps followed to design and develop learning products. Developed in 2005, the Dick and Carey model breaks down several components into a step.

Each component plays a critical role in contributing to the final outcome of the system, which simplifies learning. While all the parts must work together to achieve the end results of learning outcomes, each step by itself offers an available framework contributing to the instructional design.

Think of it as an interconnected system instead of a linear process. Each stage contributes to the next. This loop of stages continually refines the instructional experience.

9 Stages of the Dick and Carey Model

The Dick and Carey model has nine steps which guide the instructional design process. Let's look into the 9 steps from the beginning to the end.

Source: Research Gate 

Stage 1: Identify Instructional Goals

When you start a learning process, there is always an outcome that you wish to achieve. For example, if you enroll yourself in a spoken language course, by the end of your learning course, you expect to acquire language speaking skills and fluency.

Similarly, the skills or knowledge that a learner expects to acquire through the course are instructional goals. This is what the learners should be able to do when they have completed their learning experience. These instructional goals are determined in this step. 

Stage 2: Conduct Instructional Analysis

Once the instructional goals are laid down, stage two involves breaking them down into smaller tasks or skills that make them teachable. Students cannot cram an entire novel overnight.

However, chapter-by-chapter analyses help retain information and remember the storyline and characters involved. Similarly, this stage involves step-by-step descriptions of what the learners need to know to achieve the goal set in stage one. 

Stage 3: Analyzing Learners and Context

Content has to be tailored to the learners' needs. Therefore, this stage involves knowing the general characteristics of the learners, such as their prior knowledge, experiences, skills, etc. 

Having information about the prior knowledge helps you build the concepts further. Tying old concepts to newer ones improves information retention. 

Stage 4: Performance Objectives

Performance objectives, as the name suggests, refer to what the learner should be able to do once they complete the instruction. This consists of three parts: behavior, condition, and degree. The objectives must be measurable to assess the learners' performance. 

Stage 5: Develop Assessment Tools

This stage is based on the performance objectives as appropriate assessments are designed. This involves practice tests, pre-tests, post-tests, other practice items, etc. These assessment instructions help you determine whether the learners are successfully achieving their goals.

Assessment tools analyze whether learners can use what they have learned. Without practice, the stream of information gets lost.

Engaging in practice tests reinforces learning. Assessment tools for e-learning don't have to be a hassle. Automation tools such as Coursebox create tailored assignments, practice tests, and other materials that help retain information. 

Stage 6: Develop Instructional Strategy

Instructional strategy is an outline of teaching the content. The decisions regarding the learning activities, the type of activities involved, teaching methods, skill sets taught, and how topics are introduced are all covered in developing the instructional strategy.

This varies according to the instructional goal, as you have to consider the outcome. For example, certain educational courses require group discussions, independent readings, worksheets, lab work, etc. These learning strategies are a part of this stage.

Stage 7: Develop and Select Instructional Materials

Selecting or developing instructional material means choosing the content that an instructor provides to the student to achieve the objective. This includes the true essence of a lesson. 

For example, student workbooks, resource lists, textbooks, activity guides, lessons, or any other interactive content used as instructional materials. The materials must align with the objectives of stage 4, which is a performance objective. 

Stage 8: Design and Conduct Formative Evaluation

Formative evaluation means collecting the data and information to check whether the instructions are effective or not. This identifies any issues with the coursework, which refine or improve the instructional design. 

Stage 9: Design and Conduct Summative Evaluation

The feedback from formative evaluation determines the instructions that need revision. Unsuccessful instruction methods are revised before the final implementation of instructions. If you keep providing pointless material to learners with no outcome, it doesn't help you or them. 

Summative evaluation is different from formative evaluation because formative evaluation identifies improvements for producing a better outcome while summative identifies the strengths and improvements after an instruction. These evaluation steps identify the gap in the training or learning program.

Below is a visual representation of the Dick and Carey Model

Source: Research Gate 

Applications of the Dick and Carey Model

The Dick and Carey model is applied to a variety of e-learning programs, software training, education systems, and learning management systems.

Many learning management systems use AI to create courses, quizzes, practice tests, and more. Coursebox is an excellent example of such a platform.

Some practical applications of the Dick and Carey model will help you assess to which extent this model aligns with e-learning products and courses. 

1. Education Systems

Traditional teaching methods remain relevant today. However, students resort to e-learning strategies to gain knowledge on a subject, retain information, and perform better. 

As an instructor, you can provide students with a lesson plan that aligns with the outcome. For example, as a math tutor using the Dick and Carey model to design a geometry course, you'd need to assess the outcome (students can solve problems) and develop instructional material and assessments that fulfill this goal.

Integration of AI technology with the Dick and Carey model makes every stage more responsive to the student's needs. For example, Coursebox uses AI to automate the aspects of this model.

AI analyzes the learners' performance, offers insight into their progress, and points out the challenges you face in improving the learning course.

Based on the analysis, Coursebox can also adjust the instructional strategies to increase the complexity of tasks. AI also provides formative evaluation by monitoring performance and offers suggestions regarding improvements to boost learning outcomes. 

2. E-Learning Platforms

Several e-learning platforms benefit from the Dick and Carey model as the systematic approach organizes the content and activities that online learners require.

For instance, Coursebox allows educators to upload design courses and quizzes for assessments that align with the instructional goals. Similarly, many other e-learning platforms also automate the instructional steps to streamline the course.

When tracking student progress, engagement, and performance in real-time becomes hassle-free through the integration of AI, you can divert your energy and time towards focusing on creating learning material. 

3. Corporate Training Programs

The education sector alone does not benefit from the Dick and Carey model. This systematic approach to instructional design is also utilized by corporate training programs worldwide. This sector also requires a structured training program.

When we talk about structure, what's better than a detailed step-by-step analysis of the Dick and Carey model. Companies can use the Dick and Carey model to design training programs. 

Industries such as healthcare, finance, and IT can benefit from this model of training to ensure employee compliance with industry standards. This system can define the instructional goals or objectives, align them with assessment, and measure employee performance improvements. 

Conclusion

The Dick and Carey Model is not a thing of the past. Today, it provides the foundational framework for instructional design. 

This systematic approach is applied to a variety of educational and training settings. Its potential for AI integration, especially with platforms such as Coursebox, makes it a valuable tool for effective learning experiences.

Learners benefit from goal-oriented learning, while educators provide a high level of engagement through assessments. The continuous monitoring of content, revision, and improvement keeps the content relevant, which benefits learners as they stay motivated.  

Aligning goals also increases accountability, ensuring the learning outcomes are met. This improves scalability and adds a touch of personalization to the learning programs.