Sam and Instructional Design
Brief History
With the multitude of instructional design models out there, SAM has the least number of steps or phases. It relies on small iterations and repeated steps rather than larger changes (Anonymous, 2022). The SAM model is an acronym for Successive Approximation Model. It was developed in the 1950's and was first developed to organize instructional material in a systemic process.
The SAM model can be considered a simpler version of the ADDIE Model and uses only three steps instead of the five associated with ADDIE (Herrholtz, 2021). These steps include Preparation Phase, Iterative Design Phase, and the Iterative Development Phase. While I will not do a deep dive of each, let's delve into each a bit more.
Preparation Phase
The preparation phase represents the initial investigation into the target population. This step entails knowing your audience, understanding their background, and is usually very quick. Out of this phase, you should arrive to a very rudimentary course design based on storyboards and sketches. This should be the backbone for the next phases (Herrholtz, 2021).
Iterative Design Phase
This phase represents the brainstorming meeting that creates a foundation for the design (Anonymous, 2022), Followed by the collection of materials for evaluation by invested parties. This allows for feedback to be provided, change in materials if needed, and further development which could be referred to as - Design, Prototype, and Review
Iterative Development Phase
The final stage starts when the design in finalized and moves to a constant loop of development, implementing, and evaluating (Herrholtz, 2021). Smaller chunks are built out and left for end user critique and feedback. The SAM process is always seeking feedback and constant development. The SAM Model seems to follow a very software like release process, where there are initial offerings, interim changes, and finally a "gold" release of the final product (Herrholtz, 2021).
Applying the SAM Model
When looking at my own courses from the past few years and the changes that I have made, the SAM model just seemed to make sense. Even though I may have reached the "gold" release, my courses are always in development. They are always changing based on student feedback, instructor feedback, and more importantly, personal experience of what worked and what did not work. I like the idea of SAM and the constant revisions that it encourages based on feedback, making changes, evaluating those changes, and then implementing any changes made.
Works referenced:
Anonymous. (2022). Instructional design models. home. https://www.instructionaldesigncentral.com/instructionaldesignmodels
Herrholtz, K. (2021, May 12). Rapid instructional design with SAM. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/sam-successive-approximation-model-for-rapid-instructional-design
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