1. Cutting Time, Not Corners
Rapid prototyping in instructional design
Joelle Pitts
Instructional Design Librarian and Associate Professor
Kansas State University Libraries

2. #IDProblems Not enough staff Staff not formally trained as IDs
Not enough time (ID projects are often extras)
Insufficient technology training
Rapidly changing interfaces
Assessment at the final stages of design/implementation

3. ADDIE

4. Rapid Prototyping
Definition: Develop learning experiences in a continual design-evaluation cycle that continues throughout the life of the project.
Risk reduction
Most appropriate for asynchronous online content
Image: RMIT ecommerce toolbox

5. Rapid Prototyping ADDIE PRO: More agile
Reuse content (less time investment)
Discover problems quickly
Continuous evaluation and improvement
Can start off low tech
Cost effective
CON:
Can be construed as “quick and dirty”
Endless prototypes
Reused content doesn’t always “fit”
May skip steps
Suits beginner designers (step by step process)
Can be applied to many project types
Familiar
Linear, not iterative
No assessment until fully implemented
Little end-user feedback
Lengthy process
Extensive needs analysis
Phases are interrelated (waterfall effect)
Costly

6. Big Difference: Design and Development
in Tandem
Separate
Rapid Prototyping
Agile/iterative ID approaches
ADDIE
Traditional ID approaches

7. Rapid Prototyping vs ADDIE
Not a fight
Image by Flickr user Kuba Bożanowski via CC BY 2.0
Image by Wikimedia Commons user Con-struct via CC BY-SA 3.0

8. Vertical vs Horizontal

9. Prototyping Options Sketches Storyboards Computer-based simulations
Low fidelity
High fidelity
Sketches
Storyboards
Computer-based simulations
Slide shows and crude videos
Fully functional prototypes
Image by Flickr user various brennemans via CC BY-SA 2.0

10. Disadvantages Informal Undisciplined Design-by-repair
“it has a tendency to encourage informal design methods which may introduce more problems than they eliminate…Prototyping can lead to a design-by-repair philosophy, which is only an excuse for lack of discipline…Prototyping may lead to premature commitment to a design if it is not remembered that a design is only a hypothesis” – Tripp and Bichelmeyer (1990)
Cited in Brown and Green (2011), pg. 17

11. Rapid Prototyping in Action
New Literacies Alliance
Suite of shared online content/lessons mapped to IL Framework knowledge practices

12. ACRL Framework

13. NLA Process Process: Content teams + IDs
Brainstorm ‘big ideas’ and how to execute in 8-12 minutes each
IDs take brainstorms and create storyboards, first prototypes, gather initial feedback
Content teams react to storyboard, prototypes, and student feedback
ID’s revise storyboard and prototypes, create new content. Test again, in more depth
Content teams react once more to prototypes
IDs create final draft prototype and do in-depth testing
All copy edit and make final design tweaks
Deploy

14. RP in Action – model comparison
Reality
Result: interactive, student tested (and approved), framework-based lessons in one semester

15. Testing Logistics IRB Approval Find subjects Report session
Informed consent
Record session
Code session
Report session

16. Feedback Reports Demographics Length of time to complete
Answers to each assessment question
Responses to questions
Action items

17. Test Questions Basic demographic questions
Academic status
Age
On a scale of 0-4, how confidant are you that you understood the content of the lesson?
What did you like about the lesson and why?
What did you dislike about the lesson or wish could be changed and why?
Do you feel like you learned something valuable from this lesson? If so what did you learn and why was it valuable? If not, what do you wish the lesson would have covered instead?
Do you have any other comments, thoughts, ideas, or concerns about the lesson?

18. File Management
Image by Flickr user jeanbabtisteparis via CC BY –SA 2.0

19. File Management Delete/archive old files Naming conventions
Usable hierarchy
File immediately
Inbox folder
Shortcuts
Backup
Project Name (NLA)
Lesson Name (Access Matters)
Images
Videos
Scripts
References
Credits
Archive
Lesson Name

20. Best Practices Pick a firm deadline and stick to it. Tell everyone.
Reuse as much content as you can.
Don’t spend too much time on the first prototype or testing.
Don’t fall in love with early content.
Keep files highly organized.
Record user tests and feedback.
Accept imperfection.

21. References (not cited in-slide)
Brown, A. & Green, T. D. (2011), The Essentials of Instructional Design: Connecting Fundamental Principles with Process and Practice, 2nd edition. Person, Boston.
Horizontal vs vertical prototype graph from Nielson Norman Group (1993):
Rapid prototyping process chart from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University):
Revised ADDIE model image from denvercoloradotraining.com:
Revised ADDIE model 2 image from users.accesscomm.ca:
Revised ADDIE model 3 from elearningacademy.com:

22. Reading List
Simplest introduction to Rapid Prototyping: instructionaldesign.org
ID Models (including rapid prototyping) from a library perspective: Instructional Design for Librarians and Information Professionals, Farmer (pages and 98).
A good overview of Rapid Prototyping from a non-library perspective: Rapid Prototyping Instructional Design: Revisiting the ISD model (first three pages):

23.
Tripp, S., & Bichelmeyer, B. (1990). Rapid Prototyping: An Alternative Instructional Design Strategy. Educational Technology Research and Development, 38, p. 31. Summarized here: