200 x - Week 6
Successive Approximation Model
Overview:
SAM is an agile iterative instructional (learning) design framework, which emphasizes collaboration with the whole team, including stakeholders, as well as collecting frequent feedback, and rapid prototyping at an early stage of the process. It is Time Effective, Collaborative, Flexible and includes Thorough Evaluation. SAM was developed by Michael W. Allen, and is particularly appropriate for projects that require frequent chnages and quick development and deployment.
The Three (3) Phases:
Preparation - A blueprint of the project is created that outlines the scope and design strategy. This is done through collaboration between IDs, SMEs and stakeholders who gather essential information about the goal, target audience, learning objectives and existing resources of the project.
Iterative Design - With a focus o function over form, and rapid development over perfection, designers create a rough prototype of the instructional materials. This is the working draft to collect feedback. The emphasis here is on content organization, instructional strategies and overall structure of the learning experience.
Iterative Development - Just as it sounds, this phase invovles refining, improving and expanding the project based on feedback collected during the first two stages. Multimedia experts are brought in to develop interactive and visual components. Continual iteration relies on continual testing and evaluation.
Implications: Just as with the other models, IDs, SME's and Stakeholders needs to take into consideration the following when selecting the appropriate ID Model: Learning Objectives, Content Complexity, Learner Profile, Available Resources, Technological Requirement and Evaluation and Feedback. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the SAM model will help determine if this model is ideal or not for the project at hand.
Strengths: These include the iterative approach, stakeholder collaboration, flexibility and responsiveness and a focu on the learners needs.
Weaknesses: SAM can be resource-intensive and complex. There is also a potential for scope creep, which results when the project expands beyond teh initial expectations. There is a steep learning curve with this approach as it requires a deep understanding of the model and its phases.
