Implement ADDIE for more impactful training
Dr. Jill Stefaniak is Litmos’ Chief Learning Officer. Her interests focus on the development of L&D professionals and the decision making of educational design. Today, she talks with us about implementing the ADDIE framework, assessing L&D needs, and training assessments.
Why is the ADDIE framework still so relevant today, how do the assessment and assessment of needs fit into the process?
I like to think of analysis and evaluation as BookEnds in the Addie framework. Both provide the infrastructure needed to support your training. Two different phases of ADDIE, but both phases are connected to each other as they focus on learning and performance improvements.
Needs assessments are usually carried out at the beginning of a design project to identify the gap between current and desired knowledge, skills and performance. By systematically gathering data from learners, stakeholders, and organizational contexts, L&D experts can identify where interventions are needed and prioritize learning. Essentially, a thorough need assessment provides a baseline where you can later measure the effectiveness of an educational intervention.
The assessment returns to the needs assessment process by assessing whether the designed instructions meet the intended purpose. Insights from assessments can identify previously unrecognized or detected gaps in performance or evolving learner needs. This encourages a new cycle of needs assessment and improvement. Assessment and evaluation of needs creates a continuous feedback loop that measures the impact of evaluation on design and evaluation. The assessment reveals new needs and ensures that training remains relevant and effective.
Based on your experience, what are the most common mistakes L&D experts make when implementing ADDIE?
I think there are two common mistakes that L&D experts make.
They rush (or skip completely) the analysis stage. They tend to jump straight into content design without asking important questions to understand the nuanced needs of a learning audience. They also tend to view analysis simply as learners’ analysis, and miss out on the opportunity to gather important information that can have a significant impact on training outcomes. Another common mistake is to treat Addie strictly as a linear process. While L&D experts are expected to move the framework in sequence, it is important to be flexible and adaptable throughout the design process. This means reexamining the various phases of the design process as new information emerges. A successful L&D project is a project that embraces ideas and iterations. Rethinking the phase to ensure that there are necessary adjustments between prototypes, training needs, content, and evaluation metrics is important to ensure that the designed content meets the organization’s intended outcome. Can the L&D team better understand the needs of learners by focusing on utilities, relevance and values when conducting needs assessments?
When the L&D team focuses on needs assessment utilities, relevance and values, it gives them a clearer view of what is truly important to learners within their organization. The utility ensures that training addresses practical skills. Learners can quickly apply to roles. Relevance directly links learning to job responsibilities and career goals. By examining values, teams identify which learning opportunities have the most impact on both learner engagement and organizational outcomes. This ultimately leads to the development of more effective and targeted L&D programs.
What is one of the outstanding success stories related to the ADDIE framework?
The Litmos L&D team has created Litmos University to provide targeted training to support our customers. We began with a need assessment to better understand where learners are struggling and which skills are most important. The input shaped the design and focused on the right content from the start. Throughout development, we shared design documents, prototypes, gathered feedback, and made iterative improvements. The result was a collection of courses that felt relevant to the learners and clearly improved both in engagement and performance.
Are there any upcoming events, releases, or initiatives you would like readers to know?
We will be holding a webinar on October 9th with Dr. Stephanie Moore, an associate professor at the University of New Mexico. This explores the greatest pitfalls of AI-generated learning, such as enhancing stereotypes, promoting the myth of “learning style” and creating ambiguous or ineffective purposes. It covers practical strategies to create measurable goals, set up ethical guardrails, and ensure training. You can register here.
I’ll summarize
We would like to thank Dr. Jill Stefaniak for sharing her valuable insights and expertise with us. If you want to learn more about effective and engaging training designs, you can check out her articles on the Litmos blog. This highlights four questions that the L&D team can ask to expand their needs assessment.
