Merrill delineates instruction into three specific programs or practices. A principle is defined as something that exists given the right circumstances and environment regardless of programming or practice; a practice is a specific activity and program is defined as a set of practices that is more or les prescriptive to fulfill the principles that are in play. (Merrill, 2002). This give rise then to the idea that instruction must be based on a asset of principles and establishing those principles are what are important and not merely attempting to propose a particular program that may or may not be suitable for every environment or learning scenario. Merrill goes on to discuss how he has found that regardless of model, there are still key principles that are being established for the instruction to be effective. His work captured not only the rigorous aspect of implementation but also of design from a much les esoteric level than merely prescribing a one size fits all models for every situation.
The ADDIE model lends itself to the compartmentalized thinking of many who feel the need for a model that covers all aspects of a project from cradle to grave as it were. ADDIE gives a great look at the components of what needs to be accomplished when designing instruction and for the most part curriculum of any kind, however its boxed in approach tends to leave the innovators tied to certain aspects of the ID process that could prove problematic in many cases, especially when the Instructional Designer may be performing another role in the process. Instructional designers and teachers need to know what complete set of strategy components has better results (for desired outcomes) than any other set under given conditions. They are also interested in complete models and theories of instruction. The Iterative design, as an example is an approach of incremental development and refining a based on a real time feedback and evaluation feel that is different than the traditional Addie evaluation phase (Kranch, 2008). The Iterative design applies to a learning experience, the creation of media, or the development of learning systems. These tools, according to Reigeluth (1999) “provide the overt means through which individuals engage and manipulate both resources and their own ideas” (Reigeluth, 1999, p. 128). An example of how an iterative mode is used in a classroom is through the use of a wiki, where the “Page History” facility allows tracking back to prior versions. Modifications are mostly incremental, and leave substantial parts of the text unchanged. This is just one example of other ID models that are replacing the ADDIE design by attempting to give a more customized tool for a particular set of demographics and needs for the instructional design environment.
References
Kranch, D. A. (2008). Getting it right gradually: An iterative method for online instruction development. The Quarterly View of Distance Education, 9(1), 29-34.
Reigeluth, C. M. (1999). What is instructional design theory? In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models (Vol. II, pp. 5-29). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
