Unit 3 – The Dick and Carey Model

Overview of the Dick and Carey Model

The Dick and Carey Model for learning design was developed by Walter Dick and Lou Carey in the 1970’s. This model focuses on the needs of the learners and how to best achieve the desired outcomes. The Dick and Carey model concentrates more time and attention on the analysis phase to help develop clear, precise goals for the intended audience, as well as to ensure good alignment between the goals and the final structure of the course.

Also known as the Systems Approach Model, the Dick and Carey instructional design model has 9 steps, plus a 10th step to loop back to ongoing revision as insights are gained:

Step 1: Identify Instructional Goals

Considering your learners’ needs, create clearly-defined, real-world skills that your learners should possess at the end of the learning experience.

Step 2: Conduct Instructional Analysis

Get to know your learners and their current skills and knowledge to be able to address the gaps that you find.

Step 3: Identify Entry Behaviors

Describe your learners in terms of their behaviors, motivations and common features to inform the design process.

Step 4: Write Performance Objectives

Write measurable, achievable, specific objectives (including tasks and processes to be mastered) that the learner will be able to perform at the end of the training.

Step 5: Develop Criterion Tests

Create tests that can measure the effectiveness of the learning as well as the progress of the learners, taking into account their specific characteristics.

Step 6: Develop Instructional Strategy

The teaching strategy chosen should reflect all the knowledge gathered about your learners in the analysis stages, and be set up to achieve the defined objectives and goals.

Step 7: Develop and Select Instructional Materials

Choose the best methods, materials and resources available to achieve the strategy developed, including the type of course (face-to-face, group learning, or independent online learning).

Step 8: Develop and Conduct Formative Evaluation

Assess your learning design before implementation to learners by testing it through pilot sessions or focus groups, and incorporate any needed adjustments as they are discovered.

Step 9: Develop and Conduct Summative Evaluation

After implementation of your learning program, summative evaluation is given to see how effective the training was in reaching the defined goals. It will evaluate how well your learners achieved these goals, and how their achievement has impacted the organization.

Step 10: Ongoing Revision

Each time this learning program is implemented, feedback is gathered which is used to revise the instruction, continually making it more effective and addressing any problems that arise.

Implications for Instructional Design

The heavy emphasis on the analysis stages makes the Dick and Carey Method really hone in on the goals desired and ensure the structure and materials used in the course support these goals. In real-world situations, it may be difficult to spend the extensive time needed to complete the many analysis stages, but if the time can be devoted to the analysis, the end result will be a learning experience that is cohesive and well-aligned to the specified goals.

Strengths and Limitations in Regards to Minicourse

Following the Dick and Carey Method would lead me to a good understanding of my learners and their skill levels, gaps and needs, which would then enable me to design a concise course that would address these needs in less time for the learner. For example, by knowing exactly what features of Microsoft Office my learners are familiar with, that will inform where the learning will begin, and can eliminate redundancy by not teaching features they already know how to use.

Another strength is that this process considers the structure and evaluations early on, so by knowing how learners will be evaluated I can ensure what I include will lead them to success in these skill tests.

A weakness of this method is that it may be too time-intensive for my small minicourse. In my case, participation will be voluntary, so I may not be able to get the detailed analysis of my learners done accurately or completely. To combat this, I am considering sending out a survey to a wide audience of possible learners where they can self-assess their current skills and gaps in their knowledge. Since this would also be voluntary, it’s likely that only learners who would be motivated to take the course would be the ones motivated to reply to the survey.

References