ADDIE, ASSURE, TPACK, SAMR, and the 5Ds—these instructional design models are more than step-by-step processes for planning lessons. They serve as a blueprint for building, delivering, and evaluating a learning experience, especially in the age of ICT and AI.

Review on the frameworks

ADDIE (University of Washington Bothell, n.d.)↗ is a process model with five phases: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Similarly, ASSURE (Heinich et al., 1996)↗ is a six-step checklist centered on the learner at every decision: Analyze learners, State objectives, Select media, Utilize media, Require participation, Evaluate and revise.

The other models, meanwhile, serve as context lenses rather than process tools. TPACK (Mishra & Koehler, 2006)↗ shows that effective teaching lives at the intersection of three kinds of knowledge: content, pedagogy, and technology. SAMR is a four-level ladder (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) that helps judge how deeply technology is changing a task, from simply replacing a tool to enabling something impossible without it (Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, n.d.)↗. Lastly, the 5Ds (Dip, Deepen, Do, Discern, Distribute) emphasize purposeful, student-centered integration, ending with students sharing their work with an authentic audience (Book Creator, 2016)↗.

Frameworks are crucial

Technology amplifies whatever we already do, whether my design is sound or not. Because of this, frameworks are critical. A poorly planned lesson does not become a good one simply because I add a tablet or an app: it just becomes a poorly planned lesson with a new distraction. Without a framework, it is far too easy to fall into “technology for technology’s sake,” reaching for an impressive tool because it looks engaging, even when a simpler approach would teach the concept better.

A framework keeps the learning outcome in the driver’s seat and the technology in the passenger seat. It also forces alignment between the objectives, activities, and assessments, so that the technology genuinely supports the goal instead of pulling against it. And because a framework is a documented process, it makes my teaching repeatable and improvable over time.

A framework is the difference between technology that enhances learning and technology that merely decorates it.

How I would use frameworks

If I were to name a framework I would use in designing my own lessons, I would choose TPACK as my guiding lens, paired with ADDIE as my building process. I’m drawn to TPACK because it speaks directly to a tendency I need to be honest about in myself: my comfort and confidence lie strongly in technological knowledge. TPACK’s central warning is that strong technological knowledge alone does not produce good teaching; it has to intersect meaningfully with content and pedagogy. For someone like me, who could easily over-reach for a sophisticated tool, TPACK is the discipline that keeps me asking whether a tool is the right pedagogical choice for this particular content. It guards against my most likely blind spot.

But TPACK on its own only tells me whether my choices are balanced; it does not walk me through actually constructing the lesson. That is why I would pair it with ADDIE. ADDIE’s Analyze phase compels me to study my learners before anything else, and its Evaluate phase builds in the habit of testing and refining, an iterative loop that feels natural to me. Together, the two cover both of my needs: TPACK is the compass that tells me whether my decisions are wise, and ADDIE is the vehicle that helps me build and improve the lesson itself.

I also want to be honest that there is no single “correct” framework. The right model depends on the task and context, and each model has its limits. ADDIE can feel slow and rigid for quick, simple lessons, and TPACK is more descriptive than prescriptive, meaning it diagnoses the balance of my choices but does not instruct me step by step.

Acknowledging these limitations does not weaken my choice. Through these frameworks, I no longer treat technology as a decoration to add at the last minute, but as a deliberate instructional decision that will help teachers and learners meet their educational goals.

References

Book Creator. (2016, April). The 5Ds framework for integrating technology in the classroom. https://bookcreator.com/2016/04/the-5ds-framework-for-integrating-technology-in-the-classroom/

Heinich, R., Molenda, M., Russell, J. D., & Smaldino, S. E. (1996). Instructional media and technologies for learning (5th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00684.x

Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). SAMR and TPACK. University of Calgary. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/SAMR-TPACK

University of Washington Bothell. (n.d.). ADDIE. Information Technology. https://www.uwb.edu/it/addie

AI Declaration: I used Claude to only proofread this article. I am responsible for its content, style, and narrative.