An Instructional Design Model to Help ASSURE Effective Teaching & Learning

The ASSURE model provides a systematic way to plan lessons that effectively
integrate the use of technology and media to enhance student learning. The
ASSURE model uses a step-by-step process for planning a lesson and the
technology and media that will enhance it. Each of the six letters in the ASSURE
acronym map to a step in the process.

A is for "Analyze Learners"

The first step in the ASSURE process for planning a lesson is to identify and
analyze the characteristics of your learners. Specifically, you should identify and
analyze the learner characteristics shown to be associated with learning
outcomes. This information will then guide you in the decisions you make in each of
the following five steps of the lesson planning process. Keeping the characteristics
of your students in mind will help you select strategies and find media, materials, and
resources that will be most appropriate and useful to your student.

Reference: https://learn.vccs.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/SO/IDOL/Unit%201%20-
%20Analyze%20Learners/ASSURE%20Model/ASSURE_model_print.html
 The key areas to consider in this first analysis step include:

 General characteristics of your learners (e.g. age, grade level, academic abilities,
gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, attitudes & interests)
 Entry competencies (e.g. prior knowledge)
 Learning styles (e.g., auditory, visual, tactile/kinesthetic)

S is for "State Standards and Objectives"

The first "S" in the ASSURE acronym stands for state standards and objectives for
the learning module. In this step, you describe what the learner will do as a result
of instruction. You make your statements as specific as possible. Remember that a
learning objective is a statement of what the learner will know, achieve, or be able to
do as a result of the learning process; it is not a statement of how the lesson will be
taught. Keep in mind too that these statements will be the basis for assessment and
will be the basis for student learning expectations. Hence it is critical that the
learning objectives be written in such a way that they are observable and
measurable.

Each lesson you develop will almost certainly be tied to student learning outcomes
and/or curricular objectives adopted by your college. This step in the ASSURE
model reminds you to keep these "standards" in mind as you develop your learning
objectives. Beginning with the course-level student learning outcomes and/or
curricular objectives, ask yourself what specific outcome(s) your lesson will focus
on. With this in mind, describe what the student will do as a result of the lesson. Use
as many learning objective statements as needed to describe what you wish your
students to achieve as a result of the instruction.

Well-stated learning objectives name the audience for whom the objective is
intended, they specify the behavior or performance to be demonstrated, and they
include the conditions under which the behavior or performance will be
observed. Well-stated learning objectives also specify the degree to which the new
knowledge or skill must be mastered – this is sometimes referred to as the criterion
by which the behavior or performance can be assessed. These are the simple
ABCDs of well-stated learning objectives: Audience, Behavior, Conditions, and
Degree.

The verbs you use in your statements are very important; the verb describing what
the learner will know or be able to do is the heart of the learning objective. It may
prove helpful to you to review Bloom's Taxonomy for categorizing the domain of
learning you are focusing on. Most of the documentation on Bloom's Taxonomy
includes lists of verbs that state observable "behaviors" for the different domains of
learning. You should use these verbs if at all possible.

S is for "Select Strategies, Technology, Media, and Materials"

The second "S" in the ASSURE acronym stands for select strategies, technology,
media, and materials. In this step, your task is to choose instructional strategies,
technology, and media that are appropriate for your learners and the stated
standards and learning objectives. Of primary concern here is that you select
instructional strategies, technology, media, and materials that will result in student
achievement of the stated learning objectives.

Reference: https://learn.vccs.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/SO/IDOL/Unit%201%20-
%20Analyze%20Learners/ASSURE%20Model/ASSURE_model_print.html
 As a first step, you should decide what method of delivery you will use for your
instruction. Will you primarily use instructor-centered strategies such as lecture,
demonstration, presentation, or showing a video? Or will you make use of student-
centered strategies for the most part (e.g. discussion, WebQuest, cooperative group
work)? Most lessons will include a mix of instructor-centered and student-centered
strategies. That said, once you establish your strategies, you then select the
technology, media, and materials that best support or enhance the method of
teaching you have chosen. Always keep in mind that you will have to decide which
strategies, technology, media, and materials can best help your students master the
stated learning objectives for your lesson.

U is for "Utilize Technology, Media, and Materials"

The next step in the ASSURE process for planning a lesson is to utilize technology,
media, and materials. This is where you plan your role as the instructor for
implementing your strategies and utilizing the technology, media, and materials to
help your students master the learning objectives you have identified. You should
describe in detail how you will implement them into your lesson to help your learners
meet the objectives.

It is suggested here that you follow the "5 P's" process which includes the
following:

1. Preview the technology, media, and materials

- Give everything a thorough review

2. Prepare the technology, media, and materials. Make sure you have
everything you need and that it all works.

- Gather all the equipment that you need

- Create a list of materials and equipment that you will need for the
lesson and an outline of the presentation sequence of the activities

3. Prepare the environment

4. Prepare the learners

- Inform students of the learning objectives

- Tell students up front how they will be assessed
- Create a "need to know" by telling students how they will "profit" from
the lesson

5. Provide the learning experience

R is for "Require Learner Participation"

The "R" step in the ASSURE acronym is where you require learner participation.
Your lesson plan should include a description for how you will require your learners
to know, comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the information
included in the lesson. It is critical that your description states how you plan to get
each learner actively and individually involved in the learning process. The goal here
is for active learning to occur! Hence, all of your planned activities should provide
opportunities for your learners to practice the new knowledge or skills and to receive
feedback on their efforts before being formally assessed.

Reference: https://learn.vccs.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/SO/IDOL/Unit%201%20-
%20Analyze%20Learners/ASSURE%20Model/ASSURE_model_print.html
E is for "Evaluate and Revise"

The final step in the ASSURE process is one of the most important steps. In this step
you document your plans for evaluating the impact of your lesson on student
learning. Your plans should not only include plans for assessing student achievement
of the learning objectives but should also include plans for evaluating the strategies,
technology, media, and materials you used.

You may want to ask yourself the following questions during this step in the process:

 Did this lesson meet the objectives? How will you determine whether or not
students achieved the stated learning objectives? Are your assessment
strategies properly aligned with your learning objectives?
 Can this lesson be improved? How so?
 Were the media and materials appropriate? How will you determine the
effectiveness of the media and materials?
 Are there other technologies, media, and/or materials that may have worked
better?

You may also want to ask your students to reflect on their learning experiences and
have them provide you feedback.

 How will you determine whether or not your own performance was effective?

Reference: https://learn.vccs.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/SO/IDOL/Unit%201%20-
%20Analyze%20Learners/ASSURE%20Model/ASSURE_model_print.html