Brief History of ADDIE: Part 1

The Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model was developed in the 1970s, for the Army by the Center for Educational Technology at Florida State University. The Army was looking for a systematic approach to training during this period, and thus commissioned the Interservice Procedures for Instructional Systems Development (IPISD) for the military. The core concepts of IPISD revolved around the five phases that would later become known as ADDIE.

After the formalization of the ADDIE model, it became evident that the systematic approach had applications beyond military training. During the 1980s and 1990s, the structured ADDIE process as we know it was began being integrated into industry, universities and K-12 education. This integration was not necessarily uniform across all organizations. The adoption was driven by local initiatives, state policies, and the growth of instructional technology and design as a discipline.

The rise of e-learning and online education in the 1990’s and 2000’s brought renewed focus on systematic instructional design. As military organizations, industry, universities and colleges started to create or expand their online course offerings, the principles of ADDIE became even more relevant.

The ADDIE model has continued to influence curriculum development adapting and evolving with technological and pedagogical advancements. Various iterations or modifications of the ADDIE model have been developed to better suit the specific needs of different educational contexts.

The original IPISD reports are available on the Defense Technical Information Center. We have provided links below to the PDF copies maintained at their website.