Rapid Prototyping

Audrey Bowser-Brown
Julie Pace
Debra Reschke
Aileen Sullivan
 Rapid Prototyping
[Using new technologies, time for parts of
virtually any complexity is measured in hours,
instead of days, weeks, or months; it is rapid.

[A prototype is something to look at, serves as

a basis for discussion but cannot be used for
anything “serious”.
 Prototyping as a Design
Methodology
[ “Rapid prototyping is a system development methodology
based on building and using a model of a system for
designing, implementing, testing and installing the
system.” (Lantz as cited in Tripp & Bichelmeyer, 1990)

Determine Study Present Define

Feasibility System Prototype

Build Prototype
Exercise Prototype
Convert Install
 Prototyping as a Method for
Instructional Design
[ “Rapid prototyping in instructional systems design is the
building of a model of the system to design and develop
the system itself.” (Tripp & Bichelmeyer, 1990)

Assess Needs & Set Objectives

Analyze Content
Construct Prototype (Design)

Utilize Prototype (Research)

Install & Maintain System

 Used in Computer Software
and Education
Effective in
[ situations where synthesis and modification
must occur quickly.
[ cases with complex factors.
[ cases where conventional methods yield
unsatisfactory results.
[ unfamiliar situations.
 Application to Education
[Designers try to be systematic in
approaching large, complex problems.
[Designers bring orderly and systematic
methods to a discipline full of individual
practitioners.
[Designers use formative evaluation
practices when developing systems.
[Educators deal with systems based on
human cognition.
Steps Involved in Rapid
Prototyping
 Step 1: Statement of Needs
and Objectives

The purpose of a succinct statement is to:

[ communicate.
[ offer a plan of action.
 Step 2: Research &
Development
Construct prototypes under these conditions:
[ offer little or no commitment to the design
[ focus on solving immediate problems
[ create alternative designs that may even be
contradictory
Step 2 (Cont.)
Utilize Prototype
[ designer observes
[ learner asks questions to discover strengths
and weaknesses
[ problem discovery, not problem solving
[ the creation process most likely begins
again
 Step 3:The Final Project
[ "an appropriate artifact not a
generalization"
[ the instructional design process has been a
unique experience, not one that can be
replicated in the exact manner again
 Learning Environment
Assumptions
Modularity
[ allows a segments of the instruction to be
changed, added, and/or removed without
severely affecting the whole

examples:
z looseleaf notebooks
z overhead transparency presentations
 Learning Environment
Assumptions (Cont.)
Plasticity
[ the ability to revise one aspect of a unit of
instruction without creating time and cost
penalties

example
z computer programs
 Advantages
of Rapid Prototyping
[Effective in instructional design because
method does not occur linearly.
[Stresses rapid synthesis of design due to
use of software.
[Allows needed flexibility because designs
intended for human use.
 Advantages
of Rapid Prototyping (Cont.)
[Encourages greater designer creativity
because of immediate feedback from the
user.
[Users have input into the design as they
discover problems while trying out the
system.
 Advantages
of Rapid Prototyping (Cont.)
[Because users are involved in the
development process, the system produced
is accurate for the designated users.
[Reduces development costs.
[Cuts down on actual time needed to
develop the system.
 Disadvantage
of Rapid Prototyping
[Sometimes encourages informal design
methods which may cause more problems
to fix.
 Comparison
to
Other Models
of
Instructional Design
 The Dick and Carey Model
[Both use knowledge of instructional design
elements.
[Dick and Carey speaks to the teaching of
instructional design and computer-based
instruction as a potential concern
[Dick and Carey assert that design is lost in
rapid prototyping where the emphsis is to
simply get something up and running.
[Dick and Carey is linear.
 R2D2 Model
[Both non-linear in development.
[Begin with evaluation of needs.
[Design groups consist of actual users as
well as designers.
[Time efficient process because target
audience is part of process.
[Most activity in process is in creation of
material.
 Layers of Negotiation Model
[Both are systematic in nature.
[Both require contact and discussion
between the designer and the user.
[Both are non-linear.
[Negotiation is based on process outcome
goals while Prototyping is based on product
outcome goals.
 Chaos Theory
[Both emphasize hands-on and flexibily
with change.
[Both account for unpredictability.
[Both have a feedback loop.
[Chaos theory has a beginning with set goal
and objectives and a tangible end.
[ Chaos theory is linear.
 Is this a Paradigm Shift?
[YES - Use of rapid prototyping is more
than another instructional design strategy, it
is a belief about how design takes place to
create learning environments.
[NO - Rapid prototyping is a variation on
instructional design and although efficient,
should not replace knowledge about
teaching and learning.
 References
Gustafson, K. L. & Branch, R. M. (1997) Revisioning models of
instructional development. ETR &D, 45(3), p. 73-89.
Tripp, S. C. & Bichelmeyer, B. (1990). Rapid prototyping: An alternative
instructional design strategy. ETR &D, 38(1), p. 31-44.