How to Choose the Best Design Model for Your Online Course

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How to Choose the Best Design Model for Your Online Course

Why Instructional Design Models Matter

Instructional design models are step-by-step guides. They help you create learning experiences that work well for students. You can use these guides for any type of teaching – college classes, work training, or online lessons.

These models help you plan everything from start to finish. They ensure that every choice you make helps students learn more effectively. They also help you check if your teaching is fair for all students.

What Makes a Good Design Model?

A strong instructional model:

  • Starts with clearly defined goals.
  • Aligns content, delivery, and assessment.
  • Centers learner needs and context.
  • Supports iteration and improvement.
  • Can be adapted for accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

The Big Three Models

1. ADDIE Design Model

Developed by Florida State University (1970s)

The ADDIE model is the most famous way to design learning. People created it in the 1970s, but teachers still use it more than any other model today.

ADDIE gives you a flexible guide for building good training programs. The steps look like they go in order, but you don’t have to follow them one by one. You can jump around between steps as needed.

Key Characteristics:

  • It gives you a complete plan from start to finish.
  • You can adapt it to fit different types of learning.
  • You can go back and improve your work as you go.
  • Most educators know how to use it.
  • It works well for large, complicated courses.

ADDIE Model Five Phases:

Analyze

Figure out what students need to learn and who they are.

Design

Write your goals, plan your lessons, and decide how to test students.

Develop

Make your learning materials and activities.

Implement

Teach your course and help students learn.

Evaluate

Check if your course worked well and make improvements.

Pros:

  • Easy to follow step-by-step plan.
  • Most people in education know this model.
  • Covers everything you need to do.
  • Helps you catch problems early.

Cons:

  • Takes a lot of time to do well.
  • Some people think it’s too rigid.
  • Hard to make quick changes.
  • You have to do a lot of planning before you start making anything.

2. Backwards Design

Developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (1998)

Backwards Design starts with your end goal and works backward. This keeps your teaching focused on what students really need to learn. When you plan this way, students understand the material better because everything connects to the main goal.

Key Characteristics:

  • Plans around what students should know at the end.
  • Focuses on deep learning, not just covering lots of topics.
  • Tests and lessons match your main goals.
  • Everything you teach connects together.
  • Helps students use what they learn in real life.

Backwards Design Three Stages:

Step 1:

Decide what you want students to learn.

Step 2:

Figure out how you'll know if they learned it.

Step 3:

Plan your lessons and activities.

Pros:

  • Keeps your teaching focused on clear goals.
  • Helps students really understand, not just memorize.
  • Your tests match what you actually teach.
  • Stops you from adding extra stuff that doesn’t help.

Cons:

  • Feels weird at first because you plan “backwards”.
  • You need to be good at making tests and quizzes.
  • Doesn’t spend much time learning about your students first.
  • Might miss important steps in how students learn.

3. Dick and Carey Model

Developed by Walter Dick and Lou Carey (1978)

The Dick and Carey Model gives you a complete step-by-step way to design learning. It’s based on the idea that all parts of your course should work together like a system. This model has more detailed steps than ADDIE and lets you make changes as you go.

1: Figure out what you want to teach
2: Break down what students need to learn into small parts
3: Learn about your students and where they’ll be learning
4: Write clear goals that you can measure
5: Make tests and quizzes to check learning
6: Plan how you’ll teach each lesson
7: Create or find your teaching materials
8: Test your course with a few students first
9: Fix problems and make your course better

Key Characteristics:

  • Treats your course like all the pieces need to fit together.
  • Breaks down tasks into very small steps.
  • Puts a lot of focus on writing clear goals.
  • You keep making your course better as you build it.
  • Takes time to really understand your students and where they’ll learn.

The Nine Steps:

Analyze

Figure out what students need to learn and who they are.

Design

Write your goals, plan your lessons, and decide how to test students.

Develop

Make your learning materials and activities.

Implement

Teach your course and help students learn.

Evaluate

Check if your course worked well and make improvements.

Pros:

  • Gives you a very organized way to work.
  • Breaks big jobs down into small, clear steps.
  • Based on lots of research about how people learn.
  • Always looking for ways to make your course better.

Cons:

  • Takes a lot of time and work to do right.
  • Too complicated for simple courses.
  • You have to follow the steps in order.
  • Might feel like too much detail for some people.

Other Models You Might Use

Design Thinking

Key Details: Focus on caring about students, trying new ideas, and testing them out.

Best Use: Build courses by understanding what students really need.

SAM (Successive Approximation)

Key Details: Build something fast, test it, and make it better right away

Best Use: Work in small teams and make quick changes.

ARCS Model (Keller)

Key Details: Get their attention, show why it matters, build their confidence, and make them feel good about learning.

Best Use: Keep students interested and motivated.

Rapid Prototyping

Key Details: Make something, test it, improve it – over and over, quickly.

Best Use: Great for people who learn by seeing and teams that work together.

Model Comparison Chart

Design Thinking

Key Details: Focus on caring about students, trying new ideas, and testing them out.

Best Use: Build courses by understanding what students really need.

SAM (Successive Approximation)

Key Details: Build something fast, test it, and make it better right away

Best Use: Work in small teams and make quick changes.

ARCS Model (Keller)

Key Details: Get their attention, show why it matters, build their confidence, and make them feel good about learning.

Best Use: Keep students interested and motivated.

Rapid Prototyping

Key Details: Make something, test it, improve it – over and over, quickly.

Best Use: Great for people who learn by seeing and teams that work together.

How to Choose the Right Model

Design Thinking

Key Details: Focus on caring about students, trying new ideas, and testing them out.

Best Use: Build courses by understanding what students really need.

SAM (Successive Approximation)

Key Details: Build something fast, test it, and make it better right away

Best Use: Work in small teams and make quick changes.

ARCS Model (Keller)

Key Details: Get their attention, show why it matters, build their confidence, and make them feel good about learning.

Best Use: Keep students interested and motivated.

Rapid Prototyping

Key Details: Make something, test it, improve it – over and over, quickly.

Best Use: Great for people who learn by seeing and teams that work together.

Citations and Resources

Allen, M. (2012). Leaving ADDIE for SAM: An agile model for developing the best learning experiences. ASTD Press.

Branch, R. M. (2009). Instructional design: The ADDIE approach. Springer.

Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J. O. (2014). The systematic design of instruction (8th ed.). Pearson.

EdTechHub. (2021). Instructional design models: A comprehensive overview. https://www.edtechhub.org/instructional-design-models/

Gordon, J., & Zemke, R. (2000). The attack on ISD. Training Magazine, 37(4), 42-53.

Gustafson, K. L., & Branch, R. M. (2002). Survey of instructional development models (4th ed.). ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology.

Heinrich, R., Molenda, M., Russell, J., & Smaldino, S. (2001). Instructional media and technologies for learning (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Instructional Design Central. (2023). ADDIE Model: Instructional design framework. https://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/addie-model

Kemp, J. E. (1985). The instructional design process. Harper & Row.

Kurt, S. (2017). ADDIE model: Instructional design. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/the-addie-model-instructional-design/

Molenda, M. (2003). In search of the elusive ADDIE model. Performance Improvement, 42(5), 34-36.

Moore, C. (2017). Map it: The hands-on guide to strategic training design. ASTD Press.

Peterson, C. (2003). Bringing ADDIE to life: Instructional design at its best. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 12(3), 227-241.

Reiser, R. A. (2001). A history of instructional design and technology: Part I: A history of instructional media. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49(1), 53-64.

Rothwell, W. J., & Kazanas, H. C. (2011). Mastering the instructional design process: A systematic approach (4th ed.). Pfeiffer.

University of Washington. (2023). Instructional design models and theories. Center for Teaching and Learning. https://teaching.washington.edu/topics/engaging-students-in-learning/instructional-design-models-and-theories/

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed.). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Willis, J. (1995). A recursive, reflective instructional design model based on constructivist-interpretivist theory. Educational Technology, 35(6), 5-23.

This blog post was enhanced with the assistance of generative AI tools, combining human insight with AI-powered language refinement and structure optimization.

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About the Author

Picture of Keisha Croxton, CPACC
Keisha Croxton, CPACC

Keisha Croxton is a UX and instructional designer with over a decade of experience in web design, accessibility, and creative education. As an adjunct professor, certified accessibility specialist, and design consultant, she combines her passion for design with her commitment to empowering learners of all ages and backgrounds.

Her work focuses on creating inclusive, technology-driven learning environments that drive positive change in higher education, EdTech, and beyond. When she’s not designing learning experiences or mentoring students, Keisha is sharing her expertise through blogs, case studies, and online courses.

Picture of Keisha Croxton, CPACC
Keisha Croxton, CPACC

Keisha Croxton is a UX and instructional designer with over a decade of experience in web design, accessibility, and creative education. As an adjunct professor, certified accessibility specialist, and design consultant, she combines her passion for design with her commitment to empowering learners of all ages and backgrounds.

Her work focuses on creating inclusive, technology-driven learning environments that drive positive change in higher education, EdTech, and beyond. When she’s not designing learning experiences or mentoring students, Keisha is sharing her expertise through blogs, case studies, and online courses.